Number 1 Zero
by psychic soul
Summary: After an accident, Robin mysteriously disappeared. The Titans have moved on with their lives, except for Raven. 2 years after, and the Titans are in a night filled with mystery, revenge, and danger. Songfic of Audioslave's Number 1 Zero. (If you're up for some Dark Robin, then this may be for you. :) ) No longer a oneshot. R&R.
1. Number 1 Zero

The night sky was pitch black, but the stars in it shone brightly, a stark contrast against the darkness that was enveloping it. Underneath the beauty of the skies was Raven, the lone Titan, standing on top of their T-shaped tower. She stood at the edge of their rooftop, simply allowing the night breeze to carry her dark cloak. She stared at the vast expanse of the sky above her, lost deep within her thoughts.

Many years have passed since they started the Titans. Now they were all in their early twenties, changing as time moved on with them. Her purple hair had grown longer, just past her shoulders. Her costume had not changed at all, but her body had become more curvaceous as she came of age. Her amethyst eyes have been marked with an even deeper pain and sadness, if that was even possible.

After all, it had been exactly two years since that fateful day, and she had not been the same ever since.

She was pulled away from her thoughts when she heard laughter and enjoyment from the Tower. Unlike her, most of her teammates did not change from their former selves. Cyborg and Beastboy were still having their daily tofu-meat battles in the morning and their Gamestation duels in the evening, despite the fact that their relationships were progressing with Bumblebee and Terra respectively. Starfire was in one corner of the common room, spending her time with her boyfriend Aqualad. She had moved on so fast from Robin that Raven even wondered if she really felt something more than the Boy Wonder than a petty crush. The whole team didn't seem to remember what this day commemorated; it's as if they completely forgot that this was the exact day, two years ago when…

* * *

The Titans were chasing after Slade throughout the city. They had just defeated his army of Slade bots and were now chasing him towards an abandoned building that was covered in explosives. He disappeared in the building, and Robin was right behind him when he felt Cyborg's hold on his arm.

"What do you think you're doing? Let me go! We're losing Slade!" Robin ordered desperately, wanting to catch the villain at all costs.

"Are you crazy, Robin? Can't you see that building's rigged to blow? You're walking into a trap!" Cyborg shouted, trying to convince Robin, but to no avail.

"Fine, if you don't want to help me, then I'm going after Slade _alone_." He uttered the last word with such an acidic tone that they couldn't help but feel as if they were burned by it.

Robin forcefully pulled his arm out of Cyborg's grasp and ran after Slade, disappearing into the abandoned building. The Titans watched him leave; somehow knowing that he was walking toward his death. But they couldn't do anything about it, save for one.

Right after Robin chased after Slade, Raven flew to him, following him as well. This time, Cyborg caught Raven's arm, wondering why he had to make the same speech twice.

"Not you too, Raven." He said with such sadness and fear in his voice.

"Look, I know Robin's walking into a trap. But I'm not just going to stand here and let him march to his death without giving a fight." Raven said with much determination in her voice. She quickly pulled her arm out of Cyborg's grasp and flew into the building, hoping against hope that she could save Robin before it was too late.

Despite the fact that she didn't mean to hurt any of them with her words, the other Titans felt horrible after Raven spoke. They knew what Raven said was true, but they couldn't do anything as they idly stood there, seemingly sentencing both of their friends to their deaths.

Robin searched for Slade through the dark vastness of the abandoned building, hoping that he could still find his arch nemesis. Raven was only a few meters behind him, a sigh of relief escaping her lips when she found the Boy Wonder unharmed. Just then, timers started beeping all around them, telling them that they had less than five seconds before they all went off, exploding altogether as they trapped the two heroes in their marble wake.

5

"Robin!" Raven called out, hastily grabbing his arm, pulling him towards her.

4

"Raven?" Robin asked in disbelief, surprised to find his best friend there, saving him from apparent death. "What are you doing here?"

3

"Shut up before we both die here." She replied dryly, putting up a shield above them.

2

"Raven…" he breathed out in shock as he started to comprehend how his best friend was risking her life to save him. How she was the only one here to save him. _She was the only one…_

1

Everything around them started exploding. The bombs all went off at the same time, making the building collapse on top of the two heroes. Raven could feel the strain of having large chunks of concrete crash upon her shield, but she couldn't give up just yet, not until they were safe. _Not until he was safe. _

As the last of the debris fell upon her shield, Raven felt completely drained and exhausted. It took all of her strength to maintain that shield above them as the building collapsed around them. Now that she felt sure that they were safe, she finally let her shield down. Protecting them from the explosion took more out of her than she expected, and she collapsed instantly. Robin caught her and carried her close to his chest, eternally grateful for saving his life.

"Raven…" he breathed out her name once again, only beginning to comprehend how much she had sacrificed just to save him "I won't forget this." He promised softy as he held her fragile form.

Raven's vision was blurry from sheer exhaustion, but she swore she saw the Boy Wonder draw his face closer to hers, and felt the warmth of his lips upon hers. He pulled away after a few moments, only to hear a voice call out to him.

"Robin, come it's time to go. Hm, it seems that one of your friends did pass the test. That still does not change anything. Let's go." The voice was menacing and familiar, but through the haze of exhaustion, Raven failed to recognize from who it came from. She was slipping in and out of consciousness, making her vision so blurry she could barely make out Robin's face. But somehow, she felt his meaningful gaze upon her weak body before settling her gently on the ground and leaving. Before Raven could make any sense of what was happening, she slipped into unconsciousness as everything faded to black.

* * *

The Titans found her in the rubble alone, completely puzzled as to what had happened. Raven remembered those last few blurry moments, but none of them could comprehend what they meant. They searched for Robin for about a month but with no luck. They eventually gave up on their search and went on with their lives. They decided that Cyborg would be their new leader, and even took Aqualad into their team. That was when he and Starfire started going on into their relationship. Just after two months after their leader disappeared, the Titans moved on, accepting Robin's disappearance; except for Raven.

After the Titans gave up, she continuously searched for leads as to Robin's whereabouts. Most of them were dead ends, but that did not deter Raven's spirit in finding her lost leader. A year after his disappearance, she had been investigating a string of robberies and murders all across the United States, as well as Europe. The news reported that most of these crimes were committed by the same person, a person who shared Robin's unique fighting style and agility. She didn't want to believe that this was her leader, her best friend, but she couldn't deny what her mind was telling her. More importantly, if this was the former leader of the Titans, she had to know why he was doing such things. But before she could investigate any more into these crimes, the perpetrator suddenly stopped committing crimes and the trail went cold once again.

Now, exactly two years after Robin mysteriously disappeared from their lives, she still felt devastated. Robin was the one person who didn't give up on her, even if she fell into the depths of hell. And yet, right when he needed her the most, she couldn't find him. She felt like she had failed him. No matter how much she tried to save him, he was still taken away from the Titans, from his friends, _from her_. She had no idea how he was, if he was hurt, if he was alright. She didn't even know if he was still alive. But the one thought that scared her the most was that she failed to tell him how much she cared for him. All she wanted to do was to thank him for everything he had done for her, and to tell him just how much she meant to him. Unfortunately, with the way things were looking, she highly doubted that she would ever get the chance.

She cast her eyes downward, feeling the pain of failure and hurt from longing for him to come back. She slowly closed her eyes, coming to the realization that Robin may be lost to her forever. She was slowly starting to give up on him.

But she knew she couldn't do that just yet. Not when he was so close…

"_Raven."_

Her eyes suddenly shot up. She did not know if her ears were deceiving her, but she heard his voice. She heard him whisper her name, as if into her ear. It had been two years since she last heard it, but she was certain. She knew it was _him._

"_Raven."_

She heard it again as she felt a ghost of a touch caress the small of her back from underneath her cloak. She quickly turned around, half expecting for him to be standing there. But all she saw was the empty rooftop around her.

Tears started welling up in her eyes as she began to comprehend what all of this could mean. But before she could even begin to decipher the mystery, a loud alarm started blaring throughout the Tower. There was trouble in the city. And even though Raven wanted to delve deeper in the latest occurrences, she knew the city came first. She heaved a sigh before teleporting into the common room and serving her fair city once again.

* * *

The Titans were not called out to the docks because there was a crime that they had to stop. They didn't need to save anyone, not tonight. Because the image that they were staring at right now showed that they were too late.

The whole team could not believe the sight that was laid out in front of them. After years of being tormented by their arch nemesis, they were shocked to say the least to see him like this. They saw Slade's lifeless body hanging limply on a wall. His neck was hanging from a piece of wire, as dried blood poured out of his body and to his nearby surroundings. His armor was destroyed at various points on his body, while his mask was cracked to reveal a man with white hair and an eye patch. Despite the fact that they hated the villain for all of the hardships and pain that he had put them through, they did not want to see him like this. Even this seemed inhumane for the super villain that hung lifelessly in front of them.

But what bothered them more than the disturbing sight of his body, was the menacing message that was written behind him, probably in his own blood. This frightened the Titans even more, because they knew that the message was for them.

"_I did what you couldn't do." _

Fear encased their hearts as they read and re-read the message over and over again in their minds, as if that would change what it meant.

"Maybe the message isn't for us. Maybe this is some kind of all-out mafia war or something." Beastboy said nervously, breaking the silence that fell around them.

"Oh that is true! I do not believe we had any intention of doing something as cruel as this!" Starfire exclaimed, as she fearfully held Aqualad's hand in hers, desperately searching for comfort from her boyfriend.

"Well whatever that message means, we can't let our guard down. We still have to be careful. I'm going to tighten the security in the Tower to make sure no one gets in but us." Cyborg said with much authority in his tone.

Raven, on the other hand, kept silent throughout the whole discussion. She could admit that she was afraid of what that message meant to her and her teammates. But at this point, she felt relief in her heart more than anything. She knew how much Slade had tormented her, especially during the prophecy. But know that he was dead- _finally dead_- she couldn't help but feel relieved. Somehow, she felt that she was at peace, and that she could close that chapter in her life.

"_Raven."_

She heard his voice again. Her heart jumped within her chest, recognizing that voice for the second time that night. As they were slowly bringing Slade's body down from where it was hanging, she could strangely feel that someone was gazing intently at her from her back. It was as if whoever was staring at her was searching through the very confines of her heart, of her soul. She felt fear race through her veins as that person continually stared right through her. She couldn't take any more, so she spun around to see who it was. But for the second time that night, she didn't see anyone behind her. All she saw was the vast sea that opened up from the pier.

Before she could ponder once again on what had just happened, gasps could be heard from all around her. She quickly faced front to see what was going on, only to have a gasp escape her lips as well.

As Slade's dead body was lowered from its position, another message was written before them. And this time, they could not deny any more that they message was not for them.

Whoever did this had a score to settle with the Titans, and that made them more afraid than they ever were tonight.

"_You Titans are next."_

* * *

After the disturbing image of Slade's defiled body was presented to them, the Titans headed back to the Tower and Cyborg quickly improved upon the Tower's security system. He then warned all of his teammates to be careful and to keep a look out for anything suspicious. He knew that they had to keep their guard up, especially with a threat like that directed towards them. He knew that they were dealing with someone very dangerous, and somehow he had a gut feeling that he knew who this person was. He just wished, with all of his half-metal heart, that he was wrong.

They all went to bed after Cyborg's briefing, but with so much fear in their hearts. There was a great feeling of dread that hung around the Tower. It was as if they knew that something was going to happen tonight. Unfortunately, they also knew that they were powerless in stopping it from happening.

Raven surprisingly managed to fall asleep. Despite of everything that has been happening to her, she knew that she needed her rest. Especially since she was determined to understand what was going on. She needed to know where or from whom those whispers were coming from. Actually she knew the person who kept whispering her name; she just needed to know if it was really _him. _

As she was deep in her sleep, she saw a vision of herself lying down on her bed. She didn't know why but her soul self was seemingly showing her what was happening while she was sleeping. She suddenly saw a figure stand beside her bed. It seemed like a man with spiked hair, a domino mask over his eyes; he was wearing a black body suit, and had a gold belt hanging from his waist, with a bold letter 'R' in the middle. Her eyes widened at the sight before her; she was almost certain that this was a dream. She knew that it was close to impossible to have _him _in her bedroom. After years of endlessly searching for him to no avail, here he was, standing in her room, gazing at her… lovingly?

"_Raven."_

He whispered her name and the sound seemed to resonate within her soul. It felt like he was calling her, rightfully claiming her after all these years. He moved a stray strand of purple hair out of her face, admiring its length. He softly caressed her cheek, enjoying the warmth he felt from her. He bent down and whispered something in her ear, something that got Raven's heart racing within her chest.

"Wake up, Raven. Things are going to start getting exciting in the Tower. You wouldn't want to miss out on the fun, would you?"

She shot up from her bed, jolting herself awake from the strange dream. But it felt so real to her, she was almost certain that it had just happened. She tried to shake her thoughts away from the foreboding dream and got out of bed. She had to warn her teammates. If what he was saying was true, then she knew that they were all in danger.

She managed to get them all into the common room. Beastboy was still quite groggy from being disturbed in his sleep, while Starfire was shivering in Aqualad's chest. Cyborg had a firm expression on his face, but he felt fear inside his heart as well. If Raven woke them up in the middle of the night, he knew it was because of something important. And with the past events that had been occurring around them that night, he was pretty sure he knew what this was about.

"Listen guys, we'd better stay alert tonight. I had a dream" she inwardly winced when she called her vision as such, knowing deep inside her heart that it was anything but a dream. "And it warned that something was going to happen in the Tower tonight." she finished her warning, somehow summarizing what she saw in a way that her fellow teammates could understand.

Before the Titans could comprehend what Raven had just said, the power went out in the Tower. Everything was pitch black. They heard heavy metal doors crashing at the entrance and all the windows throughout the tower. They were locked in; no one could go in or out the Tower at this point.

"What is going on?" asked Starfire frantically as she held Aqualad closer to her.

"Hold on, I'm checking." Cyborg muttered, as he switched his robotic eye to night vision, and checked the Tower's predicament through the computer in his arm. "This is bad."

"What? What's bad? What's going on?" cried Beastboy as he changed into a bat and flew around the room anxiously.

"BB calm down! From what I can tell from the scanners, it says that the power was cut and the Tower went into a manual shut down procedure. That means nothing is going in or out of the Tower unless we get to the bottom of this." Cyborg explained to his teammates as he gazed on them through his robotic eye. "We should probably split up and try to bring back the power so we can unlock the Tower."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cyborg." Raven interjected, finally giving her two cents through this debacle. Unlike the others, she had no problem seeing through the dark, which was probably why she could see clearly through the flaw in Cyborg's plan. "We have to stick together, especially since most of you are at a disadvantage in the dark. We can reconnect the power together and watch each other's backs as we get there. We just received a threat, and this is probably their first step in attacking us."

Cyborg winced at her words. Ever since becoming leader, he felt so protective of the title. If anyone else seemed to have a better idea than him, he couldn't help but feel hurt. He desperately wanted to prove to everyone else that he could take on Robin's role, but he couldn't do that, not with everyone questioning his decisions. But he knew Raven was right, so instead of fighting against it, he swallowed his pride and decided to go with Raven's plan.

"Okay, we stick together throughout this whole thing. No one separates themselves from the group, no matter what. We'll go down the basement together. Starfire, raise a starbolt so we can see where we're going." Cyborg said.

Starfire nodded and lifted up the starbolt from her hand. She kept her other hand in Aqualad's, demonstrating the fear she had in her heart.

"Alirght, Titans go!" Cyborg whispered, as the group went out of the common room together, not knowing of the dangers that lay ahead of them.

* * *

They slowly trudged through the hallways, with their fear slowing them down. Danger could be lurking in any corner, and they knew that. They were too careful with each step that they took, but they knew it was a necessary precaution, especially with what was about to come to them.

"Aqualad?" Starfire called out, suddenly disturbed that her boyfriend was not by her side. She spun around, bringing the light of her starbolt with her as she desperately searched for her missing boyfriend. She spent almost every waking moment with him, to the point that she was unnerved if he wasn't at her side. Especially at a time like this.

"Friends, please go on ahead. I must look for Boyfriend Aqualad." Starfire said hastily as she flew to the opposite direction.

"Starfire! Wait!" Cyborg called out. But it was too late, Starfire had already disappeared into the darkness. "Damn it." he muttered as he brought out two flashlights from his mechanical body. He checked on his battery life and it showed that he only had 10% left. He knew that with the light he was giving off right now, his batteries would die out within the next hour. They had to bring the power back soon or else he'd collapse without the intruder even laying a finger on him.

Starfire flew past a few corridors until she saw the blue of Aqualad's costume. "Boyfriend Aqualad!" she called out with much joy, as she flew toward him. But that joy was instantly replaced with fear as she saw Aqualad's unconscious body lying on the floor. Before she could even get closer to him, however, she felt his presence in front of her. She let out a gasp, shocked to actually see him again.

"So this is the piece of trash that you replaced me with?" he said mockingly. "Well, I suppose it all makes sense. Trash attracts trash, doesn't it?"

"No…. you can't be here. You disappeared… you were gone!" Starfire exclaimed, shock and disbelief overcoming her features.

"Yes, yes I did disappear. But that doesn't mean that you can just move on and forget about me as if there was nothing between us!" he shouted out, raising his voice and letting his anger coat it.

But just as easily as he lost control of his emotions, he reined them back in, allowing a cynical smile to creep up his lips. With a soft chuckle, he said "And that is why you are going to pay for everything you did. Now you can feel everything I felt when you traded me for him."

He charged at her with only his fist ready to strike. She only watched, helpless in her fear, as his fist connected to her beautiful face.

* * *

Beastboy was getting impatient. They decided to stay in the same spot where they were so that when Starfire found Aqualad, they could continue on their journey together. But it had been fifteen long minutes without Starfire, and he couldn't take another minute of just sitting there in the darkness. He had to do something before he shot his own foot.

"Guys, Starfire is taking too long. I'm going to check to see if she's okay." Beastboy said, getting up as he masked his impatience with concern for his friend.

"Beastboy I don't think that's a good—" before Raven could even finish her statement, he was gone. "-idea." She didn't like how her teammates kept on splitting up even though she made it clear that they had to stick together. At this rate, the intruder could kill them all with ease, without them even knowing it.

Beastboy stayed in his cheetah form, using the cat's night vision to see through the darkness. It was still quite hard to see anything in front of him, but he knew he still had to find Starfire. It was either that or sitting with Cyborg and Raven, who were both so immensely caught up in their thoughts that he couldn't even annoy one of them.

As he sprinted through the darkness, he suddenly bumped into a dark figure that was standing in his way.

"Ow, what the-?" Beastboy muttered out loud, as he held on his head, checking for any bumps.

"Is everything really a joke to you?" he said in such a menacing tone, Beastboy instantly leapt in fear upon hearing it.

"It c-can't be! Is that you? Dude, what are you doing here?" Beastboy asked in disbelief.

"Why to claim my revenge of course." He said mockingly, as a twisted smile curved in his lips. "Do you think being left alone to die is even remotely _funny_?"

"No! You don't understand! There was nothing we could do to save you dude! We even tried to look for you!"

"And then you got tired and gave up, and went back to your precious Gamestation. I should've known that beating Cyborg in your stupid game was more important than looking for me." He drew closer to Beastboy, until he was just at arm's length from him.

"No! That's not true!" Beasboy pleaded, taking a step back, trying his best to distance himself from him. But as he backed up to a wall, he knew he had no chance to escape.

"Beastboy, we all know what the truth is. And you know that I'm getting the last laugh."

Beastboy was helpless as he felt a roundhouse kick hit his stomach and sent him flying across the hall.

* * *

Cyborg checked the battery meter on his arm. "2%. Damn it!" he muttered to himself as he saw the dwindling power from his arm.

"Cy, is everything okay?" Raven asked, worried for the safety of all her teammates. It had been exactly 30 minutes, and none of them have come back from wherever they wandered off to. And she knew that that was not a good thing.

"Raven listen, we have to go to my room. I'm out of juice and I still have a few battery packs and a generator inside it. Just let me recharge and then we can go look for Star and BB." Cyborg said, trying to mask his desperation with an authoritative tone.

Raven only nodded in understanding of her dear friend's needs. She helped him get up and walked their way toward his room. She knew that her half-robotic friend had his limitations, and that she needed to take care of him, since he was the only one with her right now.

They reached his room and Cyborg punched in his personal code, a code that only he knew. "I'll just be a sec. whatever you do, stay outside my door and wait for me until I'm done, okay?"

"Just don't take too long." Raven said in her monotone, with a hint of worry in her voice. She knew that things have gone terribly wrong, and she needed to get to the bottom of things and fast, before anything bad happened to Cyborg. Unbeknownst to her though, as Cyborg's door closed, a dark figure slid in, giving him the opportunity to have a private chat with the half-metal man of the Titans.

Cyborg moved through his room with ease, using his cybernetic eye to see through the darkness. He saw his generator and started walking toward it, a sense of relief overcoming his features.

"You know, I would've wanted to fight you in better circumstances, so we can really see who the better leader is."

Cyborg froze in his tracks upon hearing his voice. He slowly turned around and saw him, leaning against the wall in his room.

"How did you get in here?" Cyborg asked bravely, pointing his sonic cannon right at him.

"Oh please put that down. I know you don't even have enough power for a single shot." He said mockingly. "And here I thought you'd pose more of a challenge for me. I am quite disappointed in you. _Tsk Tsk." _ He started walking toward Cyborg in a taunting manner, knowing very well that he had the upper hand against the half-machine man.

Cyborg's anger suddenly marred his features. He always felt inferior to their past leader, and so he fought so hard to be better than him. Yet here he was, taunting him, making him realize that all his efforts were a waste. He couldn't even protect himself from the man who was in front of him. But he'd be damned if he wouldn't at least try.

"I don't need my sonic cannon to beat you!" Cyborg said, charging at his opponent. He saw how his lips turned into a smirk as he went on a defensive stance, ready to attack at any moment.

"Your lust for power almost sentenced me to my death." He began, as he jumped above Cyborg's approaching form. He landed right behind the half-machine man, only to finish what he was saying. "And now my lust for revenge will bring you to your knees." And with that, he sent Cyborg a punch that was the start of his defeat.

* * *

Raven was meditating outside of Cyborg's room, attempting to calm down her nerves. She knew that something was going horribly wrong in the Tower, but she also knew that whatever it was, she couldn't face it alone. Her teammates were missing, and her current leader needed to recharge his batteries. Every fiber in Raven's body was screaming of the danger that was all around her, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it. Fear and worry started creeping in her mind, sensing that something was not right in Cyborg's room. She broke out of her meditative state and was about to phase into his room when the doors slid open.

"Finally, you've come out. I was starting to get so worried I was about to go into—" she started saying these words until she realized that it wasn't Cyborg that walked out of the room. She took a step back, trying to see who was standing in front of her.

Through the darkness, she saw the spiked hair, the domino mask, the black jump suit, the belt with the letter 'R' on it. And this time, she was certain she wasn't in a dream anymore.

"_Raven."_

He called out to her once again, closing in the space between them. Before she knew it, he had his arms tightly around her waist, as if he was not going to let her go.

"Robin." She breathed out in disbelief. She still could not believe what was going on. She had searched for him tirelessly, only to be in his arms once again. She couldn't help the tears brimming from her eyes as she held on to him as well, satisfying the longing in her heart. She held on to him tightly to convince herself that this was not a dream; that he was really here with her, holding her as if he would never let her go.

"Raven" He breathed into her ear "You can't imagine how long I have waited to hold you in my arms like this." He moved up one of his hands into her purple hair. "You were the only one, Raven. _The only one.."_

His words broke the spell in Raven's mind. Suddenly, she became aware of everything that had been going on throughout that day. And somehow she knew that Robin played a vital part in all of it.

"Wait, Robin" she said as she pulled away to take a look at his face. "What is going on? Where are our friends?"

Even in the darkness, Raven could see how his face soured at the mention of his former teammates. His eyebrows furrowed as he replied with much venom in his voice

"Where they belong"

"What do you mean? Robin what did you do to them?" she asked frantically, as her eyes widened at his admission.

"I only gave them what they deserved, for leaving me to die." He spat out, still with rage and disgust in his eyes.

Raven bowed her head down, remembering that fateful day two years ago, and how she had failed him as well. "Are you here to punish me too?" she asked, in just barely a whisper, feeling as if she deserved whatever pain was coming her way.

At her words, Robin instantly placed a finger under her chin and lifted it up so she was facing him. "Raven, you are the only reason why I am standing in front of you today. I would never do anything to harm you, or let any harm fall upon you."

A smile spread across her lips upon hearing his honest words. She was glad that Robin didn't blame her for the events that had happened that day, even if she felt that she had failed him. But then she was reminded of her teammates once again. Robin was distracting her with his admissions of affection toward her, and he was doing a pretty good job in doing so.

"But Robin, what did you do to them? Did you kill them just as you had killed Slade?" She didn't know where those words had come from. She had no proof that he had killed Slade, nor did she want to expect the worst for her teammates, but she had no idea what was going on. And this time, she knew that she needed answers from him.

His face turned grim at her words, but he still kept a calm composure as he answered her questions. "Slade deserved what he got, and as for the Titans, well they deserve something else entirely." A wicked smile danced on his lips as he said those words.

"Robin…" she gasped, trying to still her fearful heart that was beating wildly in her chest. It was only then that she had realized how much the Boy Wonder had changed. Could've it been because of the crimes that he committed in the past? And why did he even do those things?

"Oh c'mon Raven, I know that you have been looking into me for quite some time now. Did you really expect me to be the same person that disappeared from this Tower two years ago?" That sinister smile once again curved into his lips as he started drawing closer and closer to her face.

"Robin.." she breathed out his name. She felt an overwhelming fear rise in her chest. It was only then that she realized how dangerous this man was before her. Logic told her that she needed to get out of his arms as soon as possible, despite the loud protests of her heart. The man before her was completely different from the Boy Wonder that she had saved two years before. Unfortunately, she realized this too late. She didn't even know that she was already trapped in his arms; she was the mouse that fell prey to the cunning cat. And she had no way to escape.

"The only thing that didn't change in me," he began, as he was inches away from Raven's face, "was my undying love for you. I have waited so long to have you, and now that I do.."

At that very moment, he placed a deep and passionate kiss upon her lips. His kiss was filled with so much longing that it had seemed to show her longing for him as well. He bit on her lower lip, asking for entrance. Logic screamed inside her brain to end this while she still had the chance, but for once she gave in to her desires and let him in, allowing him to taste her. She felt their tongues dancing together in a rhythm of her own, giving her a pleasure that she had never felt before. But this delight could only last so long, as she felt him slide a pill down her throat. Instantly, she felt her vision blurring as she weakly pushed away from his lips. "Robin, wha-?" she barely whispered as she blacked out in his arms.

"..you will be mine forever." Robin finished, still in that menacing, possessive voice. A dark and twisted smile danced upon his lips as he held Raven's unconscious body close to his, and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**A/N : I know it's a bit of a cliffhanger, but if you tell me to continue the story, then I might.. consider it. :)) Anyway the entire story is based on Audioslave's Number 1 Zero. Some hard rock for you. Tell me if you liked or not, because there will probably more stories like this. Hehe. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_"Listen now, let me speak  
I will be the dog at your feet  
And come along when you call  
Be the little bird in your straw and sing you a song  
I'll be there to take the fall  
Though you tread upon me for no reason at all"  
_

_-Audioslave, Number 1 Zero_

* * *

"Robin, get up. We're not done here yet."

Robin's face was inches away from the floor. His breathing was shallow and heavy. He felt like his broken rib was already puncturing his lung, as open wounds were scattered all over his body. He had been "training" with Slade throughout the day, though he felt it was more like torture.

When Robin failed to get up from his lowly position, Slade let out a disappointed sigh and said, "Fine, let's finish this tomorrow then. You still have a long way to go, but I will make sure I will make the perfect apprentice out of you."

He went closer to Robin, only to yank his arm from where he was laying. He pulled him to a small room at the end of the vast concrete space that they were in and threw him there. Afterwards, he shut the door and locked it, leaving a flickering light on as Robin's only light source.

After coughing weakly, Robin looked up to his room for the past three days. It was just a small space with a cot, and a small mirror and a sink on the other side of the bed. Slade had said that he would get a better room once he deserved it. Once he would be able to defeat him in battle.

His mind wondered what would happen after that. After he became strong enough for Slade's standards, what heinous crimes would he be asked to do? Would he steal for him? Would he _kill _for him? That thought made him shudder instantly. He should have known that coming with Slade that faithful day would only lead him into a path of misery and evil. He was a hero, he shouldn't have fallen this low. But here he was, at the mercy of his arch nemesis. He had to sacrifice himself, just to save his friends.

"_Friends that couldn't even risk their lives to save you." _ A menacing voice inside his mind said.

He shook his head, trying to shake off those kinds of evil thoughts. He knew that it was probably Slade's influence talking, and he knew he would try his best to fight it off. He didn't want to become like the people that he had put behind bars all these years. But a part of him knew that it was inevitable. That if he was ever going to survive this, he wasn't going to be the hero that he once was. And that scared him most of all.

He took out a birdarang from his belt and heaved a deep sigh. He wondered how deep he had to cut his wrist to end his life quickly. It would've been so stupid, to take the coward's way out. But it was the only way for him to get out of this with his hero's dignity intact. It was the only way for him to survive this ordeal without anyone's blood on his hands. It was the only way for him to end this never-ending pain and suffering.

He held the birdarang close to his wrist, just where he could feel his vein pulsing, when he heard her voice.

"Robin."

She heard her voice echo throughout his mind. He couldn't believe what he had heard. She was trying to reach him through their bond.

"Robin, where are you?"

She called out to him again. He could feel her mind searching for him, trying to reach him wherever he was. He became desperate to hear her voice again.

"Raven!" Robin screamed out in his mind, trying to reach Raven through their bond just as she did.

"Robin? Robin! Are you alright? Where are you?" she called out through his mind. He could feel the worry and concern in her voice which was very different from her usual monotone. He knew that she cared for him. _At least she cared for him._

"Robin!" she called out again, this time even more worried than before. "I can't track you down, damnit. There's a magical block in your location. I can't even teleport to where you are. We'll have to drive to your location. But we'll get you out of there; just tell me where you are."

Her voice was firm with a burning determination that he had never heard from her before. He knew that she was dead set on finding him, no matter where he was in the world. Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was. And he knew that he would be endangering their lives if he even tried to lead them to where he was. The last time that they tried to save him from Slade, they almost died with the probes inside their bloodstream. Who knows what kind of punishment Slade had for all of them if they even tried to fight him this time?

"No, Raven." Robin commanded through his mind. "I don't want you to risk your life any more for me. Don't look for me. Just... wait for me until I get back, okay?" He ended his order with a sort of positive note, trying to reassure her (and himself) that he was coming back; though he knew in the depths of his heart that that he might not make it out of there alive.

"No Robin! We are going to get you out of there. Just tell me where you are. Robin? Robin!" Raven shouted out through her mind, trying to reach her leader through their bond. But no matter how much she tried, he wouldn't respond anymore, until finally his end of the bond went blank, and she had no choice but to let it go.

Robin knew that he had to keep them safe, keep _her _safe. She had already risked so much to save him. She probably only contacted him at this point because she had only regained her strength now. But he also knew that he couldn't give up, for that same reason. He couldn't throw away everything she had sacrificed just for him. He had to survive, even just for her, so he could see her again. So he could tell her how grateful he was, how much he loved her.

* * *

Raven opened her eyes and realized that her vision was still blurred. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she strained them just to see through the haze that was covering her vision. She could finally make out some shapes and she could deduce that she was in some kind of room. The walls were filled with dark décors and a bookshelf was standing proudly to her left. Her eyes widened in the realization that she wasn't in just any room, she was in her own.

She slowly got up from her purple sheets; only to hear chains rattling as she did so. She raised her arms only to see chains shackling her wrists. She heaved a sigh and started chanting her mantra, only to see that nothing happened. She took another look at the chains that bound her to her bed and realized that it had the symbol of Scath. "Damnit." She inwardly muttered to herself, realizing those chains were cancelling out her powers. She had wondered how he would have been able to acquire such magical objects. But her thoughts were cut when she heard a familiar voice enter her room.

"They're from Slade. He was going to use it against you, I suppose. Aren't you glad that I didn't give him the chance to do so?" Robin entered her room as the door swished to allow him entrance. His expression turned from grim to a grin in less than a second, making Raven shudder in fear.

"How long have I been out?" she asked in her signature monotone, though her heart was racing in fear, remembering everything that had transpired before.

"Two days." He replied honestly. He started approaching her as she saw her eyes widen with his reply. "Sorry, that was the weakest sleeping drug I had. It was even designed to last for another day, but I guess your demonic abilities shortened the drug's effects."

"You drugged me? And then chained me to this bed? Robin what is going on?" Raven replied with so much anger in her voice that it made Robin's hair stand up. She struggled against her chains, physically showing how infuriated she was. But he couldn't have that. He couldn't take it if she was mad at him. He didn't survive everything he did just so she could be mad at him.

"Raven, I'm sorry but it was the only way that I could think of... the only way that you wouldn't…" he begged

"The only way I wouldn't what?" she spat back, still wanting to maul him the second that she was free of her chains.

"The only way you wouldn't leave me."

Raven froze at Robin's admission. She could feel the desperation and need in his voice that it shocked her. Despite the fact that he had become so cruel that he could just hurt her teammates without remorse, he knew that he was nothing without her.

"Robin…" she shook her head in despair. "What is going on? Why are you doing this?"

Before Raven even realized it, Robin was sitting beside her on her bed. He looked deep into her eyes before he replied, "I'm doing this for you... for _us._"

"I don't think it's in my best interest to have my teammates _incapacitated_."

Robin chuckled, finding some humor in what she said. "I'll admit that was my personal thing. But you know, I could always set them free…" he whispered those words into her ear, as if he was tempting her into doing something. His hot breath caressed her cheek, making her heart beat erratically in her chest. He descended down her neck and continued, "but with a price."

She felt his lust and love overcome her through their bond. It was only then that she realized that it had become more active now. This was probably why he was able to answer her question as she came in, without her even verbalizing it.

"What did you have in mind?" her voice started shaking as he continued to trace her neck with his nose. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she had to save her teammates. Who knows what devilish plot he had in store for them? At least she knew that Robin had no intention of hurting her, _for now. _But she could not say the same for the other Titans.

"Oh you know, just becoming _mine_." A wicked smile curved upon his lips. "Raven, you have my heart and soul in your hands. The only reason that I had come this far, that I had survived all that pain and suffering, was for _you. _I wanted to see you again, I wanted to hold you in my arms and never let you go. I wanted to claim you and make you mine." He started placing warm kisses on her neck, and Raven could feel her body and her heart submitting to his request. She knew the evil that surrounded the man before her, and yet she found it harder and harder to resist him.

"I'll let your precious Titans go, just become mine and mine alone." He breathed out his offer in her ear, making her yearn for his touch more than she would have wanted to admit.

He pulled away from her, to gauge her expression, to know if she'd agree to his offer. All she could do was stare into the depths of his domino mask as an internal battle raged on inside her mind. But then she had to ask herself, was it really so bad to be his?

The chains rattled as she reached out to touch his cheek. She started stroking invisible patterns on his skin with her thumb; as if she was giving her answer without using her own words.

* * *

Cyborg opened his eyes with a jolt. He remembered his fight with Robin and had suspected that he'd still be there in front of him. Instead, he saw the vast emptiness of what seemed like a dungeon before his eyes.

"Dude! Finally, you're awake!" He heard Beastboy's voice scream from beside him.

He turned around and saw his green friend with his arms raised above his head in chains. His eyes widened in shock upon realizing this, knowing that he had been defeated by their former leader as well.

"Oh glorious! I am glad that you are unharmed." Starfire exclaimed from his left side. She was in the same condition as Beastboy; she too was chained to the wall with Aqualad right beside her.

"Uhhh, how long have we been here guys?" Cyborg asked, realizing the danger that they were all in.

"Two days." Aqualad said. "Robin's been leaving food and water for us, but aside from that our situation has been pretty bad here."

"Where's Raven?" Cyborg asked with much concern in his tone, feeling like an overprotective brother toward his missing teammate.

"We do not know." Starfire replied, shaking her head sadly. "We woke up in the same way you did, wondering how we came to this place, with chains imprisoning us. We do not know if Friend Raven is safe or not."

"Do you think she escaped?" Beastboy asked, with some hope in his voice.

"There's only one way to find out." Cyborg started checking through the Tower's security system, trying to find Raven's location. "Okay, it says here that we are in the Tower's basement and that Raven is…" he paused as the computer on his arm located Raven's unique energy signature. "Oh good, it says here that Raven is in her room…" his voice trailed off, as his face twisted into an expression of horror at what his computers showed him.

"What is it?" Aqualad asked, sensing the dread in their current leader's words.

"The scans show that Raven is with someone else in her room, someone with the same readings as" he gulped before continuing "…as Robin."

The other Titans felt shock and worry overcome them as Cyborg said those words. They all fell to a horrible fate in Robin's hands, and they feared what form of torture Robin was giving her now.

"Friends, we must get out of here and help Friend Raven!" Starfire exclaimed, as she struggled against her chains. "Who knows what perils our friend is facing at this very moment!"

"Starfire is right; we have to escape before Raven gets chained with us too." Aqualad said as he too struggled with his own bindings.

"We've got to save Raven before he does anything bad to her." Cyborg said in an authoritative tone, checking out the basement's blueprints, and identifying the fastest way to get to Raven's room.

"But dude, maybe Robin isn't as psycho as we think he is. I mean, you've gotta admit, it was kind of weird for Rob to hook you up to get recharged. I didn't know he cared for you that much." Beastboy commented as he pointed at the generator that was behind Cyborg's back.

He too was shocked to realize that Robin had actually charged his batteries for him. He remembered Robin's words from the night that they had fought, and he knew why Robin did that. He wanted a rematch, one that didn't have Cyborg to a disadvantage. Fortunately for him, that was the same thing that he wanted.

"Well, that was his biggest mistake. Come on Titans, we're getting out of here." Cyborg said, as he readied his sonic cannon to blast them out of the dungeon that they were in.

* * *

A loud explosion was heard throughout the Tower. Raven immediately took back her hand from Robin's face from shock, which made him very upset.

"And they choose _this time_ to escape from their prison." Robin spat out with much hatred that Raven couldn't help but cower in fear as she heard it.

"You mean you kept them here in the Tower all this time?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I had other things planned out for them." He suddenly stood up and started cracking his knuckles. "Well, no matter, I needed the exercise anyway."

"Robin, wait!" she called out, stretching out her chained hand toward him, in a desperate attempt to reach him.

He turned around to face her, only to snap his head in front once again. A blast echoed throughout her room as Cyborg stood proudly at the entrance, with Beastboy, Starfire and Aqualad at his side.

"Miss us?" Cyborg said teasingly, with his sonic cannon aimed at Robin. "Well, you're just in luck, 'cause here we are."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if it's another cliffhanger. I will just update this as soon as I can. Hihi. Please Read and Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"But just when you think you've left me blind  
I'll be creeping right up behind  
Cause baby if I need to  
I will keep you in the corner of my eye"**  
**_

_**- **__Audioslave, Number 1 Zero_

* * *

The Teen Titans were ready to charge at Robin will all their might, but they didn't expect his lips to form into a twisted grin as they got ready to face him.

"Unfortunately, you idiots couldn't have come at a better time. Let's finish this quickly; I still have some business to attend to." Robin said as he readied himself in his battle stance. Cyborg processed what he said and realized that it had something to do with Raven. He felt a burning determination rise in his chest to get his little sister out of there as soon as possible.

"You just caught us by surprise last time, but now, we're ready for you. Titans go!" Cyborg ordered as he fired his sonic cannon at Robin. Starfire and Aqualad went toward his left side while Beastboy took the right. Robin easily dodged the ray of the sonic cannon, but was quickly greeted by Starfire's starbolts. He easily evaded those as well as he kicked Starfire in the abdomen. She was sent flying to the wall, making her crash into some of Raven's gothic décor. Aqualad sent him a flurry of punches and kicks, only to be thrown into the bookcase by a single roundhouse kick.

Beastboy, seeing as how well his teammates were faring against Robin, directed his attention instead on freeing Raven. He knew that Raven had teleporting powers, and if they even wanted any hope of defeating Robin, they needed Raven's help. As Cyborg charged into their former leader, Beastboy started approaching Raven to free her.

"Hey Rae, it's okay. We're gonna get you out of here." Beastboy said, as he started taking Raven's shackles in his hands.

"Wait Beastboy, these are magical chains. They cancel out my powers. I'm not entirely sure how we can destroy them." Raven replied, worry and confusion etching her face at everything that was happening.

"Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Beastboy replied proudly. He transformed into a Tyrannosaurus-rex and took the chain in his mouth, biting against the magical metal.

* * *

Even though Robin didn't want to admit it, he was having a hard time in battling the Titans all at the same time. No matter how hard he trained, or how advanced his skill set had become, he was still one person. He was still outnumbered, three to one. Even if he could get past Cyborg's sonic cannon, or Starfire's starbolts, he still had Aqualad to face. As he used his bo-staff to throw Cyborg to the other side of the room, he fell to a starbolt that hit him square in the back. He rolled to his side only to narrowly miss a hard punch from Aqualad. But he knew that there was still a fourth Titan missing. And if he wasn't here, then that meant only one thing.

"Guys, let's go. I've got Raven!" Beastboy shouted throughout the chaos that was unfolding in her room.

Instantly, as Robin heard those words, anger surged through his veins. He had worked so hard to get Raven at his side, and he had no intention of letting her go just yet.

"NO! RAVEN IS MINE!" Robin screamed as he jumped off of the floor. He began attacking the Titans wildly, as he came into a fit of animalistic rage. He used his bo-staff to slice through one of Starfire's starbolts and spun around, sending Starfire straight through a wall. Aqualad was angered at what he did, but he too was sent flying to the other end of the room before he was even aware of anything that was happening.

Cyborg took this opportunity to blast him with the sonic cannon. He collapsed on the floor, but he started to get up at once, which scared Cyborg. He knew if the Titans stayed there, they might all end up dead. Robin was going crazy and it would only be a matter of time until he tore them into pieces. Cyborg knew they needed a plan- and fast.

"Guys, get out of here now! I'll hold him off." Cyborg ordered, standing in front of Robin as he stood in his full form.

"Give. My. Raven. Back." he spat out every word with so much anger that it made Cyborg's hair stand on end. But he knew that he couldn't show fear, not when he was in front of their former leader, not when they had a score to settle.

Beastboy scurried to follow his current leader's orders. He started picking Aqualad up from where he was. Raven stared helping Starfire up as well, but she couldn't help but feel torn at how Robin was acting. He was filled with so much rage because of _her._ She had never seen him like this, and it scared her, but it made her feel special as well. No one had ever cared for her like he did at that moment, and a part of her wanted to take him into her arms and assure him that she was his.

"Raven? What are you doing? Let's go!" Beastboy shouted out in panic as he held up Aqualad on his shoulder. Raven shook her head of those thoughts as she helped Starfire up and led them down to the garage.

Robin let out a primordial scream as he punched Cyborg full force. He caught the punch, but the force was so powerful that he had to stand his ground to keep himself from flying toward the wall. Their fists stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, both of them refusing to give in to the other.

"You can't take her away from me." Robin said, in such a shadowy tone that it sent shivers down Cyborg's spine. But he would be dead if he even showed Robin an ounce of the fear that he felt.

"I'm sorry, Rob. But you don't own her. She's not yours to take." Cyborg replied, readying his sonic cannon in front of Robin's face.

He chuckled darkly before he did something that utterly shocked Cyborg, something that only the cruelest of villains could do. "And that, my dear friend, is where you're dead wrong."

* * *

The other Titans reached the garage and easily found the T-Car. Aqualad had finally regained consciousness and ran toward the car door when he heard Raven ask:

"Aqualad, you can drive, right?"

"Yeah. Why? Where are you going?" he replied, wondering what she had meant by her odd question.

"Drive the T-Car off the island first. I'll catch up; I still have to get Cyborg out of there."

"No way you're going there alone Raven! It's too dangerous!" Beastboy warned, worry overcoming his tone.

"It's okay Beastboy, I'll just teleport us both out before Robin can hurt us." Raven said, pretending to be confident but deep inside, she was also terrified of what could happen.

"Be careful." Aqualad said, knowing that Raven was their only hope of getting Cyborg out of there alive. No matter how Beastboy wanted to protest, he had no choice but to let her go. He sat in the backseat with Starfire's unconscious form, making sure she was alright as Aqualad drove them out of danger.

Raven simply nodded and disappeared in a portal underneath her feet. She had only hoped that she was still in time to save her mechanical friend from danger.

* * *

Raven's eyes widened in shock at what she saw; her mouth fell open at the scene that lay before her eyes.

She saw Robin holding Cyborg's arm in his hand. He heartlessly ripped off her older brother's arm and held it as if it were a trophy.

Cyborg's systems were almost shutting down, registering the pain that he felt. In the stand-off against the two leaders of the Titans, only one had to emerge victorious. Unfortunately, it was not a proof of who was a stronger or a better leader; it only showed who was more ruthless.

"Robin! What did you do?" Raven screamed, finding her voice against the chaos of the situation.

Robin snapped his head toward her direction, finally noticing her presence in the room. He dropped Cyborg's arm as he stared right into her eyes.

"He was taking you away from me." He said, in such a soft and dejected tone.

Raven rushed to Cyborg's fallen form and grabbed his arm, ready to teleport themselves as fast as she could.

"Raven, wait!" Robin called out to her, just before they disappeared in a dark portal that she created.

"I… I have to save my big brother first." Was all Raven said as she sank lower and lower into her portal, until finally she was out of sight.

"ARGH!" Robin let out his frustration as he slammed his fist into the nearby wall, leaving a huge dent in the wake of his force. He was infuriated at how everything had turned out. He already had Raven responding to his touch; just a little more and she would have been his. But not until the Titans had to break free and destroy everything. Despite his sacrifice, despite him giving up his life to save his so-called friends, they always seemed to hinder him from his happiness. They always took him out of the equation, neglected him even if he was their leader.

He felt like they had sentenced him to such a cruel fate, just like what they had done before.

* * *

Robin had finally defeated Slade. It took him two long months, but finally he was able to beat his arch nemesis into a bloody pulp, and claim victory as his own.

He was now seated in a luxurious room as compared to the previous one that he stayed in. He now had a full sized bed, with a mattress and a blanket that he could sleep soundly in. He faced his large closet, which only held different battle suits that Slade wanted him to use for his various training drills and missions. Right beside it was a desk with a few sheets of paper and some pens on top of it, and a desk chair for his use. He inwardly chuckled at how it looked too much like a typical boy's room. He didn't know why Slade had to make the effort of making him feel at home; he knew he was in hell already.

After spending time in his room, he was summoned to Slade's computer room. He had said that Robin still had a "prize to be claimed" there. He was quite curious as to what his arch nemesis- no, mentor- had in store for him. He should have expected that it wasn't anything good.

"Ah, there you are Robin. You're just in time to claim your reward." Slade said as Robin entered the computer room. He looked toward the many screens that filled the wall in front of him, each showing a different image or a different set of data that they would need for their next mission.

"What is this all about Slade?" Robin spat back, still not enjoying any of Slade's tricks.

"Well, I just wanted you to see how they were all doing back home." Slade let amusement color his tone as he pressed a button and instantly, all the screens showed the activities in Titans tower.

"No… way." Robin said in disbelief. He stood there, his jaw wide open as he saw all the rooms of the Tower through Slade's computers.

"Oh Robin, I thought this wouldn't have been a surprise for you. Now you can see that any time I wish, I can end their insignificant little lives. So even though you know that you can defeat me now, any sign of insubordination and I will destroy them all. Do you understand?"

Robin did not respond to Slade's threat. He was too preoccupied with seeing his friends right before him. He could see Cyborg and Beastboy battling each other on the couch, while Starfire was cooking one of her Tamaranian dishes. He saw them going on with everyday lives, without even the slightest clue that they were being watched. How could they have been so careless? How was Slade able to get the video feed from the cameras in the Tower? Were they really that vulnerable to defeat?

Slade was watching his apprentice curiously, wondering what thoughts were going through his head when suddenly, there was a development in the Tower. The doors in the common room burst open, and Aqualad came in.

'Aqualad?' Robin wondered to himself. 'They chose Aqualad to replace me on the team? Wait, I've been replaced _already_? But I've only been gone for two months!'

_Just as Aqualad came into the room, Starfire saw him and instantly flew to him. "Oh dear Aqualad! How I have missed you so! Please, tell me about your trip to your kingdom." She said, as she wrapped the Atlantian prince in her warm embrace._

Robin did not catch a word that Aqualad said. All he saw was how Starfire was flirting with him, how she held him still in her embrace, how she had seem to forget everything that she had shared with Robin. And he was only gone for two months! _Two damn months…_

Slade could only watch Robin with curiosity gleaming in his eye. He didn't expect it, but showing how the Titans have moved on without their leader had played to his advantage. He was amused to say the least when he saw Robin's fist clench at the sight before him. It would only be a matter of time before his apprentice would hate his old team completely, and he didn't have to lift a finger.

Raven came into the common room shortly after. Slade found it interesting how Robin's tense body seemed to have relaxed at the sight of the dark Titan. He became curious once again, wondering why that specific Titan had that effect on his apprentice. But he was even more intrigued to hear what Raven had to say.

"_Guys! I think I may have found a new lead on Robin's location! After triangulating the GPS signals, and using the information I have gathered, he might be still here in Jump City, in Pier 42 just outside the docks!" Raven announced with a small hint of excitement in her signature monotone._

Slade's heart skipped a beat, since that was their exact location at the moment. He was impressed at how Raven was able to acquire their location. "Well Robin, it seems that you have taught her well." Slade commented, as he was about to prepare a full evacuation of their hideout.

Robin's domino mask widened at what he had heard. He felt a surge of pride fill his chest when Raven was able to find where they were. He remembered her promise so many nights ago, that she would get him out of there. And at that moment, he had hope in his heart that maybe; just maybe he would be free of Slade's influence.

That is, until he heard what Cyborg had to say.

"_Raven, that's the fifth location in a month that you've asked us to check out. And what makes you think they're still in Jump anyway? They might be halfway across the Pacific for all we know_."

Robin's head was spinning at what he heard. He couldn't believe that they were just dismissing such precious information that Raven was handing to them. "No! What is wrong with you guys? Listen to her, she's right!" Robin began screaming out loud, as if his teammates could hear what he was saying.

"_Yeah Raven, what makes you think Robin's going to be there this time? He'll come back eventually, all we have to do is wait." Beastboy added, not even peeling his eyes from his virtual battle with Cyborg._

"_Friend Raven, I believe that our teammates are right. We have done what we can for Friend Robin. I'm sure he will be alright, and he will be with us soon." Starfire said from Aqualad's arms._

"No! No! No! You guys are all wrong! Listen to Raven! She's saying the truth, listen to her!" Robin shouted once again, becoming even more desperate in his tone.

Slade was surprised at how the Titans did not believe the dark Titan, even though she was right. He let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the Titans would not be thorn on his side tonight. In spite of that, he could not help but watch his apprentice with pity; seeing him pained like that, betrayed by the ones he had considered his family was one of the most painful tortures he had witnessed. And what shocked him the most was that none of this was his doing. All he did was to expose his teammates for the selfish beings that they were. And that was what probably hurt Robin the most.

"_We can't just give up on Robin." Raven replied weakly, as she covered her face with her hood. "He saved us countless of times, without his leadership and guidance, we wouldn't even be here in the first place. And just when he needs us the most, that's when you abandon him? What is wrong with you guys?" She raised her voice as she ended, causing Starfire's Tamaranian pudding to explode in a fit of her anger. She then flew out of the common room, greatly disappointed at her teammates_.

_Silence ruled over them as the Titans realized the truth in Raven's words. They were all dejected for a moment, wondering if they did give up on their former leader too easily. But that moment soon passed and in just a matter of minutes, they continued their previous activities. Cyborg and Beastboy both went back to their Gamestation while Starfire and Aqualad chose their own corner of the common room and started cuddling there._

Robin was shocked at what he saw. He couldn't believe at how his teammates could forget him, just like that. Only two months had passed since he disappeared and the Titans had already given up on him. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart into shreds again and again as he watched them go on with their normal lives, as if he wasn't even missing, as if he didn't even matter to them.

He realized now that what was worse than being hated, was not being cared for at all.

But, there was still one Titan who clearly cared for him.

After Slade left him, Robin used the controls of the computer to access the camera in Raven's room. He was surprised to see that it was empty, so he then tried the roof, but still she wasn't there. Following a hunch, Robin decided to use the camera in his room and he was surprised to see who he found there. He saw Raven sitting on his computer, deep in thought as she checked and re-checked the data that was given to her.

"_It's the right spot, I'm sure of it." Raven muttered to herself, as she stared out the location of Pier 42. "Why won't they believe me?" She placed her head in her hands miserably, realizing how she had failed her best friend. _

Robin felt his heart sink as he watched Raven like that. He felt horrible knowing that he was causing her this pain- no, it was their teammates that was doing this to her. If they had only followed her information, then they would probably be reunited by now. He hated how the other Titans forgot about him, but he hated them even more for making Raven miserable. And he swore that they would pay for the all of the hurt that they had caused.

For the following days, Robin simply watched the events in the Tower. He just sat in the computer room all day, bearing witness to Beastboy and Cyborg's tofu-meat battles, or Starfire and Aqualad's cuddling sessions. Even Slade found his apprentice's obsessive habit to be disturbing, but Robin continued to watch them, day in and day out.

But once out of Slade's sight, he would turn the screens toward Raven. He would watch her meditate or read a book in her room, or he would stay up late with her as she continued to track down leads on his whereabouts. If he was obsessively watching the Titans, he was stalking Raven's every move. And as he watched Raven's movements in the Tower, all he would mutter to himself were the words: "You were the only one, Raven. The only one.."

* * *

Robin shook his head of those memories, and started to focus on the task at hand. Once again, the Titans have meddled into his affairs, but he would do everything in his power to stop them.

He pressed a few buttons on his black suit and a holographic interface appeared from his wrist. "Computer," he commanded, "send the Sladebots to Jump City. Target: the T-car. Their mission: To stop the Teen Titans at all costs."

The holographic screen disappeared, as he once again pressed a few buttons on his suit. "Do they really think I would let them get away that easily?" he said as he chuckled darkly to himself. "They aren't going anywhere, not while they have my Raven." And with that, he teleported out into the city, ready to meet the Titans once again.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, this was actually the second half of chapter 2, but I decided to cut it because it seemed too long. Anyway, I hope it was clear but just in case it wasn't, in the flashback scene, the ones in italics are the images that Robin was seeing through Slade's computer screen. **

**But if you have any questions or inquiries or comments and suggestions, PM me or leave a review!**

**I will probably update next week. (if I know what's good for me academically. hehe :)) ) But yeah, hopefully you're enjoying the ride so far. Have a nice day everyone! :) **

**P.S. I probably should have done this back in Chapter 1 but I guess better late than never : I do not own Teen Titans. (sadly :( )**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_"I will never leave your side  
Though you call me your number one zero  
your nevermind  
I'll be your king, I'll be your pawn  
I will builid a pedestal and put you upon it"_

_- Audioslave, Number 1 Zero_

* * *

Aqualad was driving way over the speed limit. But in actuality, he was driving at the appropriate speed for someone who was trying to escape from a madman.

He glanced at his side to see Starfire curled up on the car seat, still recovering from the blows that she had received from Robin.

"Starfire, are you alright?" he asked as he reached for his girlfriend's arm. She looked at him with a weak smile before replying, "I am alright. I am sure that I will be fine by tomorrow. How about you friends, are you alright as well?" She tilted her head toward the backseat, to check on their other teammates.

She was shocked to say the least with what she saw. Her mouth fell open as she saw Cyborg's unconscious body on the seat, with his arm in Raven's lap.

"What has happened to Friend Cyborg?" she shouted out, deeply worried for her friend.

"Robin happened to him, that's what!" Beastboy spat, with anger that was very much unlike him. But with his best friend in the condition that he was in, he had every reason to be. "And when I get my hands on him I'll..."

"Calm down, Beastboy. Cy will be fine. We just have to get him to S.T.A.R. Labs and he'll be as good as new." Raven interjected, trying to keep him calm. She knew that they couldn't let their emotions blind them if they wanted to get out of this alive. Unfortunately, she could give herself the same advice; especially with how she's been allowing herself to fall prey to Robin's charms.

"Dude, he tore his arm off. I swear if I get my hands on him, I'll make sure to let him know how that feels like." Beastboy's tone was so dark and vengeful that Raven couldn't help but stare at him. It was very much unlike her old teammate. She stared in awe at how Robin's reappearance in their lives has brought out all the worst features in them. Was that his plan all along? Was he going to show them all their imperfections and flaws, and use these to _destroy_ them? Just the thought of such a devilish plan made Raven shudder in fear.

If this was his plan all along, then he was succeeding.

"Uh guys, I think you may actually get the chance." Aqualad said, breaking the silence as he looked on in fear of what lay ahead of them.

The other Titans had fear instantly etched on their faces as they saw the army of Sladebots blocking their path out of the city. Aqualad screeched the T-car to a halt, gauging what their next move should be.

"Where did he get all of these?" Beastboy said in a panic, as his heart started racing in fear.

"He did kill Slade, so logically he gets to be in control of all the Sladebots too." Raven replied, allowing her monotone to bring some normality in their situation.

"Wait, you mean _he_ murdered Slade? How do you know that?"

Raven froze at Beastboy's inquiry, realizing her slip of tongue. It was only then that she remembered that Robin only told her what had happened to Slade. She could feel the realization that was slowly dawning in Beastboy's mind. She knew that sooner or later, he would realize what was going on between them. And with Beastboy's current anger, he won't take that realization lightly.

"Friends, I do not think Robin's murderous activities are our main concern at the moment. I believe we must find a way to defeat these robots before they defeat us all." Starfire interjected, bringing her teammates back to the issue at hand.

"She's right. We have to get out there and get them out of the way." Raven ordered, inwardly thanking Starfire for the change of topic.

"How? There's too many of them!" Beastboy pointed out, as the Sladebots started to move towards them.

"We have no choice. Aqualad, stay here and take care of Cyborg. Starfire, Beastboy, take down as many as you can. Go!" Raven shouted out. Aqualad opened the hood of the T-car to allow the other Titans to fly out and take the robots down.

The instant they got out of the car, Sladebots started attacking them from all directions. Unfortunately for them, the Titans weren't going down without a fight. With an awakened animalistic rage inside of him, Beastboy started charging at the robots, destroying roughly five at a time as he shifted into an elephant, to a Tyrannosaurus rex and a tiger. Starfire was still quite weak from the attack, but she still sent an incredible amount of starbolts toward the approaching robots. Raven was also showing off her prowess, pleased to be able to use her powers again after Robin had put her in those chains. She was throwing the Sladebots toward themselves, destroying countless robots at a time.

But even with their best efforts, they were still largely outnumbered. No matter how many robots they destroyed, even more came to replace them. Soon enough, they were cornered around the T-car, with thousands of Sladebots surrounding them. They slowly backed up into the car, not knowing what to do next.

"Friends! I believe I can not put them off much longer!" Starfire cried out in exasperation, since she was the one who did the most fighting that day compared to the other Titans.

"Starfire is right! There's just too many of them!" Beastboy called out, the adrenaline from his anger fading as well.

"Damn it. Everyone, get back in the car!" Raven ordered, as they retreated into the T-car.

That only made matters worse for them as the Sladebots surrounded the car and started pounding on it, trapping them inside.

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Aqualad shouted out through the noise as the robots continually pushed against the car. "They're going to destroy this car if we don't do something quick!"

Starfire let out a shrill scream as one of the robots at her side was slowly breaking the glass on the car window. All the Titans could hear were the loud thuds echoing in their ears as the robots were quickly destroying their precious T-car.

"Raven! Do something ! Quick!" Beastboy screamed in panic as they slowly saw dents covering the car. It would only take a few moments before the car was completely destroyed, with them trapped inside.

Raven started racking her brain for a plan. But the danger and fear around her made her emotions and her powers quite hard to access. It didn't help that Beastboy was specifically depending on _her_ to think of a plan, as if she was the only one who could save them.

'The only one…' Raven thought to herself as she realized how familiar those words were. With that realization, she instantly came up with a plan. She phased through the roof and chanted her mantra, as she created a force field over the T-car. The robots then shifted to attack the shield, and Raven knew she wouldn't be able to hold it up for much longer.

"Robin!" she called out through the loud thuds that the robots were causing. "I'm out here! Let's talk. They can't hear us!"

Instantly as she said those words, the robots stopped their onslaught on her shield. Raven was surprised when she had realized that the Sladebots were slowly retreating from the T-car. But she was even more surprised when a voice breathed into her ear: "You called?"

She spun around and saw Robin standing on top of the shield that she had created. Fortunately, because of the shield, the Titans were oblivious to what was happening outside the T-car.

"You…" she breathed out as she shook her head, trying her best to concentrate on the shield that she was holding up. "Why won't you just let us go?"

"Simple, I'm not done with the Titans yet." was Robin's reply, as a seemingly innocent smile danced on his lips. "But you know the offer still stands. You could always come with me and they'll be as safe as they'll ever be."

Raven weighed her options for a moment, thinking what would be best for the team. It didn't matter if she was handing herself over to a madman. It didn't matter if she was giving up her freedom in exchange for that of the Titans'. All that mattered was she ensured the safety of her friends. But then she remembered Cyborg and his severed arm, Starfire cowering in fear, Beastboy's uncharacteristic rage, and Aqualad's sanity that was slowly slipping away. She couldn't leave her teammates, not when they were so lost, not when they were at the point of breaking.

She shook her head as she made her decision. But her face was twisted in pain and confusion, showing just how hard it was for her to make it.

"I'm sorry," she replied dejectedly, "I can't." She looked up to stare at Robin before she continued, "The team needs me Robin. If I go now, they will fall to pieces."

His face turned into a scowl upon hearing her answer. He couldn't believe that she was choosing her team over him. He truly cared for her, could she say the same for her teammates?

"But," she spoke again, this time with much determination in her voice, "I'm not giving up on you yet. I-I…" she began stuttering, unsure if she was about to say the right words, "I will be back for you. I-I promise…" Her voice was only above a whisper as she uttered those last words, knowing the full extent of what they meant.

Robin's masked eyes widened at what he heard. He couldn't believe it. Did Raven just promise him that she would come to him that she would be back for him? She practically whispered those words but he was sure that he had heard her right. She was going to come back for him. And that fact made him happier than he would ever want to admit.

She took something from her cloak, and placed it in Robin's hand. "I'm not giving up on you yet." Just as she said those words, she turned into a black raven and flew toward the sky, bringing the entire T-car with her.

Robin landed gracefully on the ground as she saw her take flight. He knew how much energy she was using to teleport the entire team, and he was suddenly filled with anger, knowing that the Titans were somehow taking advantage of her again. He could only guess that they were headed for Steel City, to the headquarters of Titans East, since they had nowhere else to go. Bringing an entire car filled with metahumans was not an easy feat, especially to that great distance. And he blamed the Titans for making her exert that much effort. He clenched his fist tighter as he mentally promised to make them pay for everything they were putting Raven through.

It was only then he remembered the item that she had placed in his hand. He took out his fist and opened it, only to find an old and crumpled domino mask inside, the same one that he would use. A smile started to form on his lips as he realized how she came to acquire something that important to him. He found it interesting that even if he gave this to her two years ago, she still kept it around in her cloak, always around her, just within her reach, just in case she missed him…

* * *

A week had passed since she came to know of Pier 42's location. It had also been a week since Cyborg had turned her down and said that the area wasn't worth exploring- even if she believed with all her heart that Robin was there.

With fear and determination in her heart, she decided to visit the inconspicuous Pier 42 on her own; it just took a week for her to do so. She was flying over the Jump City docks at nighttime, hoping against hope that her dark cloak would allow her to blend into the darkness. She eventually found the pier and found an old warehouse in its place. 'Typical villain.' she muttered to herself as she landed in front of the location.

Despite the burning determination in her heart, she was still quite scared of what might happen to her that night, just in case she did find Slade's lair in there. She knew how dangerous the villain was, and to go there alone was absolutely crazy. But she knew with every fiber in her being that she was right. And if there was even a sliver of a chance that Robin was there, she would take it. She was dead set on bringing him back to the team, and she wouldn't leave any stone unturned, especially not this one.

She took in a breath and opened the door to the warehouse, bracing herself for what was on the other side. She pushed the door ever so slightly and came in without a sound, only to find…

Nothing.

She went through all the trouble of sneaking in only to find the warehouse completely empty. As the moonlight shone in through the glass windows that were found on the top of the warehouse, she saw absolutely nothing. There was only a vast emptiness that laid before her.

She sighed as went further inside, realizing that Cyborg was right to doubt her. She had been wrong- once again. She felt so disappointed in herself, failing Robin again. All she had to do was to find his location, and she was always unsuccessful on that simple task. She blamed herself for not being skilled enough, for not having the knowledge and the strength to find him and free him from his prison.

She continued berating herself in her mind when suddenly her feet kicked an envelope lying on the floor. Surprised, she picked up the piece of paper and found that it had a note in it. Curiosity got the best of her so she opened the letter; her eyes widening in shock as she realized who it was from.

_Raven, _

_Thank you for fighting for me. Your strength is what keeps me from giving up, despite everything that Slade has been putting me through._

_Just don't give up on me, please. And wait for me. I promise, I'll make the Titans pay for hurting you._

_Robin_

She gasped upon reading the letter. She was a bit disturbed on how he vowed to make the Titans pay, or how he knew that she was still searching for him. But more than anything, she was shocked to find out she was right. Robin was here. This was Slade's lair. And if her teammates would have just listened to her, they would have probably have been able to save Robin by now. If only the Titans believed her…

Tears started streaming from her face as she realized the irony of the past events. She started blaming herself again, for not having the courage to come here sooner. If she did then maybe, just maybe, she had a chance of saving him. If she hadn't waited until now to get to this location, then she would've at least caught a glimpse of him. But now he was gone, and she had to begin her search once again.

But she knew that she had to. She couldn't give up on Robin, not now, not when he reached out to her. Not when he told her not to give up.

She felt a burning determination rise up in her chest. Now that she knew that Robin was alright, now that she knew that he was still alive, she was going to search for him no matter what. She was going to find him, if it was the last thing she was going to do.

She folded the letter and started placing it back inside the envelope when she saw something black and white inside. Taking the material out, her mouth fell open as she realized what it was.

It was one of Robin's domino masks.

She held it out in the moonlight as she wondered why would he give her something that precious to him? He valued his identity above all things, and yet here he was, giving the one thing that kept it a secret. Maybe it was to ensure that the letter really was from him. Maybe it served as his trademark, the one thing that defined him as Robin. But if he gave it to her, then did that mean…? She shook her head of those thoughts and instead placed the mask inside her cloak. Whatever this all meant, she promised herself that she would ask him, when she finally met him face to face.

* * *

Robin placed the mask toward his nose and inhaled Raven's scent. She smelled of lavender and vanilla, a scent which drove him mad with need. He couldn't wait to take in this scent in as he held her in his arms, as he kissed her senseless, as he…

A menacing grin danced upon his lips as he said "Run and hide all you want, Raven. But soon enough you will come running to me, and you will be mine."

* * *

**A/N: So there! As promised here is the fourth chapter! I'm not too proud of this chapter, I don't know why. Probably because it's a little sloppy. Sorry for that. But I promise things will probably get more interesting from this point on. Heehee : Well I suppose that is it. Have a nice day everyone! :)**

**I do not own the Teen Titans. They are just an awesome TV show that I have loved since Grade 6. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_"Down on the street, over your night_  
_Out of your sleep, out of your sight _  
_if I need to, if I need to_  
_Out of your mouth, in every word_  
_Down in your ego one thing is sure_  
_I will keep you, I will keep you"_

_- Audioslave, Number 1 Zero_

* * *

To say that the Titans East were surprised when the Titans West came to their headquarters would be the understatement of the year.

To say that they were shocked beyond their wildest imaginations would have been more appropriate, what with the T-car's condition and Cyborg's severed arm. Yes, they panicked, and they freaked out, just like any normal teenager would do in the situation.

"Bumblebee please calm down." Raven begged, trying to get their leader to lower her voice.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? SPARKY'S ARM HAS JUST BEEN YANKED OFF OF HIM AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING ME TO CALM DOWN?" was her hysterical reply.

"Yes that is exactly what I want you to do if you want to save him."

Bumblebee took a few deep breaths, trying her best to calm herself down.

"Okay Raven. I'm okay now. What the heck happened to you guys?"

"I'll tell you later. What we need to do right now is to-"

"Robin did it!" Beastboy shouted, cutting Raven off as she entered with Bumblebee to the Titans East common room.

"Wait, are you telling me that Robin did all this?" Speedy asked in disbelief as he sat up from their large sofa.

"I am afraid that is the truth, Friend Speedy." Starfire replied sadly from Aqualad's lap. He held her protectively as they were both seated on the couch beside the resident archer.

"Dude! He beat us up and locked us in a dungeon for two days! He's way out of his mind and we have got to stop him and fast!" Beastboy exclaimed, a mix of determination and desperation coloring his voice.

"No, Beastboy. We can't go charging at him just like that. We need to think this through. We need a plan." Raven said, as she placed a hand on Beastboy's shoulder to calm him down. She stood behind him from the couch, with a very worried Bumblebee right beside her.

"But what about Sparky?" she asked sadly.

"We have to get him to S.T.A.R. Labs. Bee, can you take us there?" Raven replied, as she gazed toward her friend.

"I'll do it. I think you guys need your rest more than anything. I'll just call you if anything happens." She started flying out of the common room when Raven called out to her. "Wait Bee! Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am. Just make sure your teammates won't kill each other 'til I get back!" She had a warm smile on her face as she left her with her broken teammates. "That might actually be harder than you think." Raven muttered mostly to herself.

After Bumblebee left, none of her teammates moved from their current positions. Starfire and Aqualad still stayed in each other's arms, appreciating the comfort that they were sharing. Beastboy on the other hand just sat on the sofa, with his fists clenched on his lap. Raven rarely saw him so angry about something. She was worried about him, to say the least.

Speedy stood up from the couch and went to Raven's side. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, genuine worry coloring his voice.

"Honestly, I don't know. They've been taking things pretty hard, especially Beastboy."

"Tell me about it. This is the first time that I've seen him this mad about something. What did Robin put you guys through?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, showing how concerned he really was about the team.

Raven simply replied with a weak smile on her face. She could feel that he truly was worried for all of them, and she honestly appreciated that. In fact, she was really thankful for all the help Titans East has given them throughout this whole ordeal. Unfortunately, she knew that this was just the beginning.

"Hey, I'll check if Mas y Menos are done with your rooms. You guys look like you desperately need your rest." Speedy said, disrupting Raven's train of thought.

"I'll go with you. I've spent two whole days knocked out. I don't think I could fall asleep even if I tried." Raven replied, walking with Speedy as he exited the common room.

"Two days? What the heck did Robin do to you?" Speedy asked hysterically. He couldn't believe everything that the Titans West was telling him about his friend. It was one thing to hear these crazy stories from Starfire or Beastboy. But when they came from the no-nonsense Raven, he knew that things were really serious.

"He drugged me." was all Raven said as she heard the doors close behind them.

* * *

Repairing Cyborg took a lot longer than expected. Aqualad decided to fight with his old team, especially since Bumblebee was still with the half-metal man in S.T.A.R. Labs. He said it brought him a sense of normalcy, especially with everything that has been happening to them.

Beastboy tracked Terra down in Steel City, spending more time with her now more than ever. He said she was the only one who was keeping him sane through the recent events. Terra was also very worried about this dark nature that seemed to loom over Beastboy, but she was glad that her presence seemed to appease him... for now.

Raven was surprised to see that all her teammates had their own ways of coping through everything that Robin had done. But as an empath, she knew that all they were doing was running away from all their thoughts and fears. She knew that whatever they were feeling before was still there. They just worked so hard to deny the truth.

They had been staying with the Titans East for three days now. They prepared two rooms for the Titans West: one for Raven and Starfire and one for Beastboy and Aqualad. But on most nights, Raven was alone in her room because Starfire usually stayed with Aqualad, and Beastboy stayed with Terra somewhere in Steel City.

On this specific night, Raven sat alone in their room, secretly worried about her teammates. She sat on her regular sized bed, which had a blue comforter and white pillows. The bed was soft enough to get her a decent night's sleep, but she still longed for her own bed back in the tower. Right beside her bed was Starfire's, which looked exactly like hers. Their room just had those beds, and a small desk in the middle of them, where a little lamp stood. This was supposedly the Titans East guest room, and despite its simplicity, Raven was quite happy in staying there.

She remembered her old room and instantly thought of Robin again. Though he was seemingly leaving them alone for now, she knew that he had so much more in store for them. And if they keep on running away from that fact, then they will be caught unprepared when that time comes.

Just as she was deep in her thoughts, Starfire entered their room, looking sad and dejected.

"Starfire, what's wrong? Where's Aqualad?" Raven asked, as her Tamaranian friend sat on the bed next to her.

"There was trouble in the city and the Titans East went to face it." Starfire replied, still in that sad voice.

"You'll see him again soon, Starfire. He'll come back before you even know it." Raven placed a reassuring hand on Starfire's own, assuming that missing her boyfriend was the reason for her sadness.

Starfire shook her head slowly. "No, that is not what I am worried about, Friend Raven."

"Then what seems to be the problem?"

Starfire stared at Raven intently, emerald orbs gazing into amethyst ones before she spoke.

"Friend Raven, do you think that I am a bad person?"

Raven was taken aback with her question. She was surprised to hear such a strange inquiry from the sweet and ever bubbly Starfire. How did she come to think of these things? What made her question her personality, her essence?

"No of course not! Why would you even think that?" Raven said, her voice becoming more emotional than her usual monotone.

"But Robin is mad at me for what I did to him."

"You mean he's mad because you kind of replaced him with Aqualad?"

"Yes. But it's not in the way that he thinks."

Curiosity got the best of Raven with her friend's mysterious reply. "What do you mean?"

Starfire heaved a sigh before she explained her side of the story. "When Robin disappeared, I felt so sad, so lonely. It was then I realized how much he has helped me and has been with me ever since I came to Earth. He took care of me and gave me a home. He taught me how it is to truly love someone. But then, he suddenly left without even saying goodbye. I felt like he left a hole in me, like there was an empty part of me that had to be filled."

Raven looked back at those first few months of Robin's disappearance. She did notice a dip in the Tamaranian's mood, even if she was very busy in finding Robin's location. But she was surprised to hear her lengthy admission. She knew that there was something between Starfire and the Boy Wonder. She just didn't know that it was actually that deep of a relationship.

"Which is why I became close with Boyfriend Aqualad." she began once again, enlightening Raven on her side of the story. "I thought that he could fill the gap that Robin had left. I thought he could make me feel alright again, until Robin came back." her voice trailed off, as if she was unsure of the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"And he did." Raven said, completing her thought for her, as she tried to understand what her friend was trying to say.

"That doesn't make me a bad person, does it?" she asked once again, her pleading eyes staring right into Raven, as if they were asking her to say the words that she needed to hear.

Raven could only gaze back at her, unsure of what she should say. She could clearly see that her friend was seeking comfort from her, but she had her own opinions of her actions, especially pertaining to Robin's disappearance. But with Starfire's begging eyes staring right at her, she had no choice but to tell her:

"No, Star. It doesn't make you a bad person. If anything, it makes you human. No one should blame you for just wanting to be happy. And I really hope you are happy with him." Raven flashed one of her rare smiles to the Tamaranian, doing her best to make her feel better despite all the doubts that were hovering in her mind.

"Oh thank you, Friend Raven! You have chased all my worries away!" she exclaimed as she enclosed Raven in a bone-crushing hug.

"Starfire! I kinda…need…to…breathe." She said, desperately needing air at the moment.

Starfire let out a squeal and instantly let Raven go, forgetting her strength once again. She thanked the resident empath a couple more times before she heard the Titans East come back from their mission. She looked towards the door, and Raven only gave her an understanding nod which meant that she knew that it was her time to leave. Starfire said one last thank you before flying out of their room with much happiness and glee.

Raven couldn't help but feel elated, knowing that she was able to help her friend through those trying times. But she also felt torn deep inside her heart, knowing that she was not completely honest with everything she said to the Tamaranian.

She could remember a time two years before, when she had a completely different perspective on her story.

* * *

After discovering that she was right about the location of Slade's hideout, Raven could not help but harbor ill feelings toward her teammates. She couldn't help but be mad at them for giving up on Robin, especially when they had the chance to save him. That night, as they were happily eating their 'celebratory pizza' after putting Control Freak in jail, she couldn't contain her anger any longer. Because it was on that specific night that Aqualad and Starfire shared their first kiss. Beastboy and Cyborg cheered them on as they pressed their grease-stained lips upon each other. Raven tried her very best to contain her anger against Starfire, especially since she shared a somewhat romantic relationship with the Boy Wonder before his disappearance.

Raven didn't want to admit it to herself, but she had grown feelings for their leader after he had braced hell just to save her. But she kept those feelings a secret, and watched as his relationship with Starfire deepened even more. She didn't say anything, even after they shared that kiss back in Tokyo. At that point, Raven had decided to sacrifice her own happiness and her feelings for Robin just so he and Starfire could have a wonderful and beautiful relationship with one another. But seeing how easily she replaced the Boy Wonder in her heart, she felt like her sacrifice was wasted.

Finally the two lovebirds gave each other a chance to breathe, parting from their kiss. Cyborg and Beastboy congratulated the couple, while Raven simply sat in the corner, watching them with a blank expression on her face.

"Raven, aren't you going to say anything to our latest couple?" Cyborg asked, wondering if she reverted back to her old, antisocial ways.

"Congratulations." she replied in such a monotonous way that masked all the anger she felt inside.

Later that night, Raven could not contain her emotions any longer. After their victory dinner, she went to Starfire's room, knocking on the steel door as she waited for her friend to entertain her. After only a few seconds, the steel door swished open, revealing a beaming Tamaranian to a deadpan Azarathean.

"Hello Friend Raven! May I help you with anything?" Starfire greeted.

"Yeah... I just wanted to ask you something." Raven replied, seemingly irked by her friend's cheerfulness.

"Oh! What is it?" she asked once again, with an even bigger smile on her face.

Raven took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before she faced the current source of her frustration.

"Did you love Robin?" she blurted out the words before she even knew what she was saying.

Starfire's wide, beaming smile disappeared instantly upon hearing the question. She did not expect that her friend would ask something that blunt to her, especially on the night that she decided to make her relationship with Aqualad official.

"Why would you ask that?" She seemed so hurt by Raven's question, wondering if her friend was as loyal as she seemed to be.

"It's been roughly two months since he disappeared. What if he came back to find you in Aqualad's arms?" Raven couldn't help it, but her voice was colored with the bitterness that she felt inside.

"Honestly, I do not know what I will do if ever he comes back. But I could not help it, Friend Raven. Aqualad treats me unlike how Robin treated me."

"He makes you happier?"

"He understands me more. He is not as serious as Robin was. With him, I don't have to think too deeply about everything. I don't feel that I have to be someone else, or I don't have to do other things just to please him. Aqualad accepts me for who I am, and he does not wish for me to become anyone else."

"Did Robin make you feel that way?"

"I do not know. All I know is that I didn't feel like myself when I was with him. But with Aqualad, he makes me happy. It's easier when I'm with him."

She ended her admission with a soft smile on her face. It told Raven everything she felt when she was with the Atlantian prince: pure, unadulterated bliss. And that was something she didn't feel from the Boy Wonder.

Raven let out a sigh, feeling the irony hitting her. She cared more for Robin than Starfire did. And yet she was the one who had to let go of her feelings. She wondered what would have happened if she had fought for him. If she showed him how much she meant to him, would things have changed? Would it have been her in Robin's arms? Would she have had the happiness that she yearned for? Would she have had that shot at love that she had let go of? She shook her head of these thoughts. None of those things mattered now. Robin was still missing and Starfire has moved on. It only mattered to her…

"As long as you're happy." she said with a weak smile on her face. It was her way of accepting everything that her friend said, that in the end, it didn't matter. It only mattered to her, and that was never really enough.

Upon hearing her reply, Starfire took her in a bone-crushing hug, thankful that her friend understood her side of the story. Raven tapped her friend's shoulder, reminding her that she needed air to breathe. Starfire quickly let her down on the ground, as her beaming smile returned to her beautiful face.

"Thank you Friend Raven! Thank you for your understanding!" she exclaimed in joy.

Raven could only respond with a small smile on her face. In truth, she didn't understand Starfire's reasons, but she accepted them, knowing all too well that she couldn't do anything about them now.

* * *

Before they even realized it, they have spent a week in Steel City. Fortunately, this was also the day that S.T.A.R. Labs had finally finished working on Cyborg's arm. Everyone was excited to finally have their two leaders home. They were eagerly waiting for their arrival in the common room. Raven was on her way as well as she was walking in the corridors. She was excited to meet her big brother, especially since she was the one who carried him out of the tower when he was in the brink of danger. Just as she was walking through the hallways, she couldn't help but hear two voices whispering from the other room.

"I really don't want to stay with them anymore. Do you have any idea how crazy Robin is right now? He's going to kill me!" one voice said in a frantic and fearful voice.

"What makes you so sure that he wants you dead? You're not the one who got his arm yanked off." the other voice replied calmly.

"It's because I'm dating Starfire! He thinks I stole his girl." Raven was surprised when she heard. This was the first time she saw this side of Aqualad's personality. He had been on the team for more than a year now. And yet he could easily give up the Titans West at the first sign of danger.

"Well what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna dump Starfire and go back to Atlantis?" Raven could recognize the other voice as Speedy, but it lacked the carefree nature that the redhead always had.

"Of course not! I'll find a way to get her to go with me. We can probably lay low in Atlantis for awhile, just until this whole mess with Robin is settled."

"And leave the Titans West short of two members? Right after one of them gets their arm severed?"

"Look, it's not like I like the situation. I wish there was a better way. I mean, I can't bring the whole team to Atlantis. Robin will destroy my kingdom if I bring Raven there. "

She froze upon hearing her name. She almost forgot that the whole team was there when Robin screamed of his possessiveness of her. She was trying to hide the fact that he had been claiming ownership of her ever since his return, but she couldn't deny that Robin almost murdered her team at the thought of her being taken away from him.

"Wait, why? Why Raven specifically? I thought he was after Starfire?"

"You don't know? Robin-" A loud thump was heard in the room before Aqualad could even finish his statement. Raven subconsciously slammed her hand against the door, preventing the Atlantian prince to reveal her secret. Unfortunately, that also alarmed them of her presence. She froze right in her place, realizing the grave mistake she had just made.

The two boys stood alert in their room, ready to attack whoever was listening to their conversation. They both gave each other a look and in one swift movement, opened the steel door to reveal...

No one.

They were puzzled to find nobody there. Speedy even looked to the left and to the right of the hall, but he still found nothing that could have made that noise. The two boys scratched their heads and decided to head to the common room, postponing their little chat for later.

* * *

Raven was breathing heavily when she appeared back in her room. She thanked Azar that she had teleporting powers or else she wouldn't have escaped the two Titans. Still, the adrenaline rush was still enough to get her heart racing and catching her breath.

When she had finally calmed herself down, she started walking out of her room to meet her big brother. But just before she reached the door, she noticed a piece of paper lying on her bed. She went closer to the note and picked it up, curious of its contents. When she did open it, her eyes widened with what she read. Her heart started racing in her chest once again, wondering what it could mean.

_Raven_

_Watch the news._

_I have a surprise for you._

* * *

Before Cyborg came to the common room, Raven teleported there, suddenly appearing from a black pool of power from the floor. Most of the Titans were surprised with her entrance; since they had all been in the common room already, save for Bumblebee and Cyborg. Starfire and Aqualad were by the kitchen, preparing the food for Cyborg's welcome home party while Speedy and Mas y Menos were lounging around the sofa, flipping through the channels. ...

"Whoa Raven! What an entrance!" Speedy exclaimed as he stood a few inches from where she appeared.

She paid the archer no mind as she grabbed the remote from his hand and changed it to the news channel.

And she was utterly dumbfounded with what she saw. In fact, they all were.

They saw Robin wearing his old traffic light costume, tying up Mumbo with a rope. The newscaster's voice could be heard, but all eyes were on Robin and his seemingly heroic form.

"_Earlier today, Robin once again single-handedly saved the city, defeating Mumbo before he could rob the Jump City National Bank."_

The scene shifted to Robin leading a tied up Mumbo to the police department. A crowd of media men were excitedly taking his pictures as he gave them a smile and a small wave.

"_Throughout this entire week, Robin has defeated three of Jump City's most dangerous villains single-handedly. He has Plasmus and Cinderblock behind bars and now he can add Mumbo to the list. Just when the Teen Titans have gone M.I.A., Robin has been efficiently taking their place as protectors of this city. The Teen Titans better get ready for when they return. This may not be the same Jump City that they left behind. And that's all because of the amazing Boy Wonder!"_

Just then, Cyborg and Bumblebee came into the common room.

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Cyborg announced in his booming voice.

The Titans only gazed at him with blank expressions on their faces, utterly confused with what they had just witnessed.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry nothing much happened in this chapter. I just wanted to give some more meat into Starfire and Aqualad's characters. Hopefully the ending was enough to get your hearts racing though!**

Will try to update this as soon as I can. Still have got a lot of papers to write, acads to do. *sigh* 

**Oh well, hope you have a wonderful day! :)**

**I don't own the Teen Titans!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_"I hope I never figure out_  
_Who broke your heart_  
_And if I do, if I do_

_I'd spend all night losing sleep_  
_I'd spend the night and I lose my mind."_

_- Teegan and Sara, Living Room_

* * *

"_Good morning! I'm Robin Scherbatsky (1), your guest reporter and today we are very privileged to have Robin, the Boy Wonder on the show for a very exclusive interview!" The beautiful reporter with brown, wavy hair and smoky eyes turned her attention to Robin._

"_Welcome Robin!" She let out a nervous chuckle. "We actually have the same name. How cool is that?"_

"_Robin is just a code name, Ms. Scherbatsky." He replied, showing off his coy smile at her. There was something in his expression that seemed to affect the reporter, somehow making her entranced to follow whatever the hero wanted. _

"_Okay, so let's get started." She looked intently into his masked eyes and began her interrogation._

"_So Robin, what happened to you? Where have you been in the past two years that you left the Titans? They never gave a comment as to your whereabouts. Can you enlighten us on what you were doing at this time?"_

_Robin simply held a seemingly genuine smile on his face as he replied, "I went around the world, improving on my fighting skills. I wanted to protect the city better and the only way I knew how to do that was to improve on my techniques. I knew that the Titans could fare well without me so I trusted them to protect the city until I got back."_

"_But now that you're back, they're the ones that have gone missing. Do you know what happened to them?"_

"_There was an attack in the Tower and they were all badly hurt. I wasn't there yet when it happened but I know that they're recuperating with other Titans across the country."_

"Liar!" Beastboy shouted out at the television screen. "He was the one who attacked us! They shouldn't believe what he's saying!"

"Shut up, BB! Of course he's going to lie. What we should be worried about is the fact that knows where we are!" Cyborg snapped at him, clearly aggravated by what he was seeing as they all sat together in the Titans' East common room. Raven just rolled her eyes at him, even if she was on the other end of the couch, because he didn't realize how obvious their location was. But their side comments were short-lived as they turned their attention to the large screen once again.

"_I'm sad to hear that. We wish them all the best as they regain their strength until they come back to Jump City." There was a short pause before Ms. Scherbatsky continued with the interview. "Did your time away from the Titans affect your relationship with them?" _

_Despite how personal the question was, Robin still chose to answer it. The only sign of his discomfort was how his smile seemed to fade, but not completely disappear. "Unfortunately, it did. There were a lot of changes in the Tower while I was away. But it has led me to realize the importance of a specific Titan." He turned his gaze toward the camera and wore a devilish look on his face, which was partly hidden by his domino mask. But he knew that the one to whom he intended his gaze to could feel that it was for her and for her alone._

"_Oh! Is there romance in the air of Titan's Tower? Well they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, which one of the lucky ladies is it?" _

_Robin let out a hearty laugh, which he shared with the reporter beside him. After his laughter subsided, a playful grin danced on his lips. "Well there are only two girls on the team. I suppose it isn't too hard to guess."_

"_But you have to give us at least just a little clue. And why her? Why do you think that that girl is special?"_

_Robin turned his gaze toward the camera and looked through it, as if he was focusing on her and her alone once again. "She is fiercely loyal. She has never left my side, even if I was so far away from her. Her intelligence and wit is unlike any other. I would brave hell and back just for her. Every breath I take is for her. She is all I live for."_

_The reporter let out a girlish squeal, despite her supposed professional demeanor. "Oh! Please tell us for whom that beautiful declaration was for! I'm sure she's the envy of all the girls out there."_

"_Now that would be too easy." Robin teased, bringing his gaze back to Ms. Scherbatsky._

"_Please! Even just a little clue! If I would make my guess, its Starfire isn't it?" she asked excitedly._

_Robin's face was disgusted for just a split second before he was able to rein back his emotions into his stoic smile. "If you must know, she shares her name with a famous poem from Edgar Allen Poe."_

Light bulbs exploded in the Titans' East common room as Robin said those words. All eyes shifted to Raven, knowing that she was the only one who fit that description.

"_Okay, that's all the time we have for today. Robin, do you have a message for the Titans?"_

"_Just one." Robin flashed another smile as he turned to face the camera. "Hey Titans. Hope you come back soon. We still have a lot of catching up to do." His lips turned into a wicked grin as the TV screen suddenly turned black._

Cyborg held out the remote, closing the TV with an irritated look on his face. "Robin has gone too far." he said with clenched teeth.

"Yeah! How can he present himself as the hero even if he's clearly the bad guy?!" Beastboy exclaimed, pulling at his hair.

"Yes, and what did he mean with his feelings for Friend Raven?" Starfire asked innocently. "It was Friend Raven he was referring to, yes?"

Once again, everyone turned their gaze toward the dark empath. She raised her eyebrows in response and said "What?"

"Did you know Robin was that _crazy_ about you?" Cyborg questioned in an authoritative tone.

"No." she replied through gritted teeth.

"Then what the heck was that declaration awhile ago?" Beastboy yelled with his hands in the air. He was bordering on hysterical now because of everything that was happening.

"I don't know! I'm not the one who said those words on national television!" Raven defended, her monotone colored with her frustration.

"Yes Beastboy, this all might be a play of Robin's." Starfire reached for her green friend and grasped his shoulders, being the voice of reason.

"I don't know, Star. He did seem pretty sincere to me."

"And what if he was?" Raven said. "It's not like it's going to change anything."

"What are you saying? A psychopath just declared his love for you and you act as if nothing happened! He's madly in love with you Raven. And that kind of attraction could jeopardize the entire team! He's probably attacking us all because of you!" Beastboy exclaimed, pointing his finger at Raven.

"Are you seriously blaming this on me?" Raven shouted out, her eyes glowing white as she took a step forward toward the changeling.

"That's enough Beastboy!" Cyborg commanded, breaking Beastboy and Raven apart. "Pointing fingers isn't going to do us any good. You have got to calm down and think this through. We're obviously dealing with a deranged mind here and we don't have room for mistakes or rash judgments. I want to bring him down as much as you do, but berating Raven won't do us any good."

Beastboy started relaxing in Cyborg's grip, his tense muscles starting to loosen up. Raven's eyes also went to their natural amethyst color, inwardly thanking Cyborg for taking control of things. She felt sad that he had to deal with all of this a day after he came back from S.T.A.R. Labs, but Robin wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

Suddenly, the alarm sounded throughout the Tower, signaling trouble in Steel City. The giant TV screen came to life, showing which area of the city was being attacked, and who was responsible for it. Bumblebee flew toward the screen, trying to find out what was destroying her city this time.

"Uh guys…" she said, as her eyes widened at what she saw.

"What is it, Bee?" Cyborg asked, looking up at her.

"I think you have to handle this one. Someone from your home court is crashing through our city." she replied with worry etched on her face.

"Who is it?" Raven's monotone rose through the tension in the room.

"Cinderblock." Her words were heavy, carrying all the implications they knew that came with it.

"But I thought Robin sent him to jail just last week." Aqualad said in disbelief, finally speaking in this conversation.

"That's exactly the point. Robin had something to do with it." Cyborg replied bitterly. "C'mon Titans West, it's time we get back to action!"

All five members rose up and started heading out the room, with Speedy following after them.

"Speedy! Are you going out too?" Bumblebee asked, as she flew towards the archer.

"I know this is their villain, but they might need some help. They're not really in the best shape to fight." He replied, genuinely worried for the other team.

Bumblebee heaved a sigh. "You're right. Make sure they don't get killed. Or kill each other first."

* * *

When the Titans came to the scene, Cinderblock was already tearing up half the block. He was lifting up a car in his stony hands when he saw the Titans show up.

"Titans go!" ordered Cyborg, as each Titan charged at the giant with newfound rigor and determination surging through their veins.

Black energy surrounded the car in Cinderblock's hands and went crashing straight to his face, thanks to Raven's attack. Starfire sent starbolts all over his body, making him stumble backward. Beastboy whipped him with his tail in his T-rex form, making him fall on his back.

Before the changeling could move out of the way though, Cinderblock grabbed hold of his tail and threw him toward a nearby building. He crashed straight through it, destroying most of the walls; he was in pain as he reverted back to his human form. The stone giant tried to get up, but was quickly greeted by Cyborg's sonic cannon, and a flurry of Speedy's explosive arrows. Smoke was covering Cinderblock's face, and it looked like he was going to be unconscious anytime soon. But before he could succumb to defeat, he threw a silver ball toward Raven's direction. Seeing this as a threat, he was attacked by a barrage of starbolts, another exploding arrow and a car enclosed with black energy being smacked in his face. Finally, the giant fell and collapsed on the street, out for the count.

The Titans rejoiced, finally having a sense of victory come over them. It has been awhile since they were able to fight crime, and that was the moment when they realized that they had missed it. But as they were enjoying their latest victory, horror was etched on Raven's face, as she stared at the silver ball that laid by her feet. It was just a plain silver ball, around the size of a basketball. It had a line running through it, with a yellow letter 'R' in the middle. She picked it up, though she was so afraid of what could be inside it. She was afraid that it might be a bomb, or a canister of lethal gas. Cautiously, she gently swept her thumb over the letter 'R' in the middle, knowing all too well from whom this silver ball was from.

Suddenly the ball opened, making Raven almost drop it in surprise. But what shocked her more was the black box inside, with a note on top of it, specifically saying that it was for her. She quickly grabbed the box and placed it in her cloak, fearing that Beastboy would blame her once again if he found out what was inside. The silver ball closed on its own, as the other Titans finally noticed what she was holding.

"Raven, what is that?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know. Cinderblock threw it awhile ago before he knocked out." Raven replied, trying her best not to sound too suspicious.

"Is it a bomb?" Cyborg inquired as he took the ball in his own hands and examined it.

"No. I don't think so."

Cyborg scanned it with his arm and announced the results. "No, it's not a bomb. I think it's a capsule of some sorts."

"Yeah, and I can tell who it's from." Speedy suddenly said, looking over Cyborg's shoulder to get a better look at the ball. "You can't miss that letter 'R'."

Cyborg's face suddenly became angry when he looked at what Speedy was pointing out. "C'mon Titans. It looks like Robin really misses us." He started stomping toward the Tower, as the rest of the team followed him.

Raven simply stood there at the spot, seemingly lost in thought. "You okay?" Speedy asked her, suddenly appearing right beside her.

She was a little surprised at his unexpected closeness, but quickly regained her composure. "I'm fine." was all she said as she went toward the other Titans, teleporting them all back to the Titans East tower.

* * *

Cyborg stood in the common room with the Titans West. The Titans East decided to give them privacy for awhile, especially with their new discovery. The silver ball was still in Cyborg's hands as he was trying to decide on what they should do with it.

"Should we open it?" Starfire asked with fear in her voice. Aqualad just clutched at her arm, trying to comfort her as best as he could.

"The question is Star, can we even open it?" Cyborg asked, as he looked over and underneath the ball. "I don't see any way of doing it."

"Try pressing the yellow 'R' in the middle." Raven suggested. "It looks like a button."

"It does not-" Cyborg was about to interject, when finally the silver ball opened. Cyborg took a step back in shock, fearing what might happen now that the ball was unlocked. A holographic message suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Robin, holding up his signature cocky grin at the half-metal man.

"_Hello Cyborg. How's the arm? I hope it hasn't killed you yet. You know we still have a score to settle. I'm dying to find out if you have a detachable head. I'm sure you will too."_

Cyborg's anger suddenly came over him and he moved to throw the ball away before it was enclosed in dark energy.

"Calm down. Don't let his words get to you. We still need that intact if we want to find out anything about what he's planning." Raven said, trying to use her empathic powers to calm him down. "He probably has a message for everyone, and it's important for us to listen to what he has to say."

He finally let out a deep breath and gave the ball to Starfire and Aqualad, who were next to him. It was obvious in his face that he was still angry, but he knew that Raven had a point and he had no choice but to comply.

Starfire was afraid of what Robin was going to say to her. She almost looked like she was going to cry. Aqualad saw this and placed a hand over her own, lifting it up on the letter 'R' so that they would both touch it at the same time. Instantly, the ball opened and revealed another holographic message. And to their surprise, it was actually directed to the both of them.

"_Hello Starfire and Aqualad. I knew the both of you would watch this video at the same time, since you don't really separate from each other anymore. In fact Starfire, you always leave Raven alone in the room, just so you can be with your precious boyfriend." His masked eyes narrowed toward them, as if that fact alone irritated him greatly. "Tell me Starfire, was it worth it? Did your body quiver to his every touch? (2) Be sure to answer that question when we meet again. I'm sure I'd love to make your body quiver to my every touch. In pain, that is." _

Starfire looked away from the holographic screen, as if she felt Robin's judging eyes boring into her. She didn't want the personal details of her life being laid out in the open like that, especially since Robin was not supposed to know any of it. The message ended right after that and closed shut once again. She wordlessly placed it in Beastboy's hands, as if her own hands were made of lead. Robin's words affected her greatly, knowing all too well the truth in his words.

Beastboy gazed at Starfire as the Tamaranian started crying in Aqualad's arms. He looked down in the silver ball in his hands with hatred etched on his face. He was determined to make Robin pay for all the pain he was causing his teammates. And the first step in doing that was to listen to whatever insult their past leader had in store for him. But as he opened the silver ball and the holographic message came to his attention, he knew that he was unprepared for what was said to his face.

"_Beastboy, Beastboy, Beastboy… you shouldn't be too angry at everything that's happening. It's so unlike you. You might kill your only brain cell if you keep on doing that. How's Terra by the way? Is she still living in that apartment in Steel City? Oh, of course she is. Remember to keep your cool." _

The holographic message ended with Robin's devilish grin staring at Beastboy. And finally the silver ball was sealed couldn't take it anymore. He threw the ball on the floor. It would have crashed if it weren't for Raven's powers catching it and bringing it up to her hands. Beastboy was beyond furious. Robin obviously knew that he has been experiencing some uncharacteristic rage lately. But what was worse was that he knew where Terra lived. What if he found her, went to her, _hurt_ her? Beastboy would never forgive himself if something bad happened to Terra just because of him. If he was mad at Robin before, he was enraged now. It would take an entire army to stop him from ripping his head off the next time that they'd meet.

Raven froze in her spot as she held the silver ball in her hand. She already got the box that was supposed to be for her. Did she have another message? Robin already gave her the biggest message of all when he admitted his love for her in national television. And if she didn't have a message, what would the other Titans think? Either way, it would make them even more suspicious than they already were. Realizing that she had no other choice, she lightly placed her finger on the letter 'R' and the silver ball opened, only to reveal a holographic message unlike any other.

"Raven, what's going on? What does your message say?" Cyborg asked, momentarily forgetting his past leader's insult. All eyes instantly turned to Raven, distracted by what the empath had to say.

"It's… it's an IP address." she replied in disbelief.

"A- what?" Cyborg rushed to her side and stared at the numbers being flashed before them. "She's right, it is an IP address…" he started analyzing the numbers, knowing as much as he could about them without actually accessing it.

"Damn, this is a pretty tight connection. Whoever owns this made it pretty secure. You can't track down or find this number unless they were actually given to you." he explained, genuine astonishment coloring his voice.

"So what are we going to do? Are we going to access it? What if it's some kind of intense virus that will wipe out our entire system?" Beastboy asked with a serious expression etched on his face. If the situation weren't as tense as it was, the Titans would have noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, knowing that it wasn't healthy, especially for someone like him.

"Guys, I think I know this address. And we should probably go to it right now." Raven said, suddenly enlightened by a strange memory. Those numbers seemed so familiar; she just didn't know where she had seen them before. No-they were strangely familiar not because of her own memories, but because of the ones she had shared with Robin. And knowing her former leader, she knew exactly who owned that IP address.

Without another word, she went straight for the laptop that was conveniently placed on top of the table in the common room. She started accessing the IP address before anyone could stop her.

"No Raven! This could be a trap!" Beastboy warned her, as he and the other Titans gathered around Raven.

But he was too late as the screen turned to a man dressed in a dark cowl with pointed bat ears on top. Everyone started gasping behind Raven as she called out to the Dark Knight.

"Hello Batman." she said in her signature monotone.

"Raven." he acknowledged, his own deep voice colored with surprise.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Hello! This chapter feels a little rushed once again. Sorry, just have a hell of a lot of things on my plate. Seriously. Nothing like abuse and school work to fill up your life. And writing and reading fanfiction is the only thing that is keeping me sane right now. :)**

**(1) : I'm sorry I couldn't help it! It was cute when I realized the coincidence, and decided to go for it. If you must know, Robin Scherbatsky is a character from the hit show How I Met Your Mother.**

**(2): This is actually a line from the amazing TV show The Following. Check it out, it's awesome.**

**I actually don't know if you can access someone's IP address and talk to them or what not. But I will now use the liberty of fiction and say that in this imagined world of Teen Titans, it actually is possible.**

**So yeah.. Batman. The next chapter might take awhile as I shall do my research to write his character well. He's going to do a couple of things that might get shocking. Tee hee.**

**Anyway, hope you are all having better luck in your own respective lives. Have a good day everyone! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_My windows look into your living room_  
_I spend the afternoon on top of you_  
_I wonder what it is _  
_That I did to make you move in _  
_Across away from me_

_- Teegan and Sara, Living Room_

* * *

Seeing Batman's face on the laptop before her reminded Raven of the first time they talked to the Dark Knight. It was a quiet, uneventful day at Titans Tower when all of a sudden, their giant TV in the common room shifted to Batman's serious face.

* * *

"What happened to Robin?" Batman's voice demanded through the giant TV screen in the common room. When he heard the news that the Boy Wonder was missing, he immediately contacted the Titans to find out what was wrong.

"He disappeared." was all Cyborg could say, looking dejected in front of the Dark Knight.

"When?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"He was taken by Slade almost three months ago." Raven said, stepping in front of her leader. "He went into an abandoned building alone and an explosion tore it down. I was able to shield the both of us from the rubble but when I regained consciousness, he was nowhere to be found. I remember a man like Slade came up to us and took him away, saying something about passing a test. We've had leads to their locations, but they were all dead-ends."

Batman paused for a moment, taking in all of this information into account. He was very worried for Robin, and he was willing to do everything in his power to ensure his safety.

"Give me the location of your last lead. I'll take it from there." he ordered, masking his worry with a cold tone.

"Once you find something, tell us right away. We want to save Robin as much as you do." Raven replied, trying to bargain against the Dark Knight. She should've known that it wouldn't work though.

"The sooner you give the location, the sooner I'll find Robin." He didn't even acknowledge Raven's threat. This was going to be his mission, and there was nothing they could do to convince him otherwise.

He was always convinced that he could do things on his own. Until he found Robin.

But now that he was the one who was missing, he was willing to do anything to get him back.

Raven heaved a sigh, understanding his emotions through her empathic powers. Reluctantly she sent the coordinates to Pier 42, hoping that the great Batman could find him.

"Please tell us once you find something." she begged, knowing that it would only fall to deaf ears.

"I appreciate this information. I will update you accordingly." he said before finally cutting the transmission.

Raven had a desperate look in her eyes, hoping against hope that Batman would find their leader, before something bad happens to his body, or his soul.

Unfortunately, two watching eyes were listening to their conversation, and were hoping something else for the Dark Knight.

* * *

Batman's cold tone brought Raven out of her thoughts and back to the present.

"I suppose this is about Robin, isn't it?" The Dark Knight said, his tone matching her emotionless voice.

"Yes... I guess you've heard the news that he's back." Raven replied, unsure of how to inform his former mentor of everything that he has been doing. Especially with all the stunts he has been pulling for the media.

"And protecting Jump city all by himself." He didn't need to say anything. Batman's tone clearly demanded an explanation as to why his adopted son was alone while his team seemed to be unharmed.

"Don't believe a word he's saying! He's evil now!" Beastboy screamed out, speaking for the first time since he was initially awestruck by the famous detective's presence.

Batman only raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the changeling's words, waiting for someone else to elaborate on his words.

"What he means is that the Robin that you see in the media isn't who he really is." Cyborg said, stepping up and presenting himself as the leader. "He's done a lot of evil things to us. He beat us up and chained us all in the basement of Titans' Tower. He might have done a hell of a lot more if we didn't escape. But he did manage to rip my arm off in the process."

Batman's expression didn't change when he heard the news. He still held a stoic expression on his face, not giving anything away as he stared back at the Titans from the computer screen. "Did he do anything else?"

"He chased us through Jump City and had an army of Sladebots attack us. If it weren't for Raven's quick thinking, we would've been crushed right then and there." Aqualad explained, as he placed his arm on Starfire's shoulder, wincing at the memories that happened just weeks ago.

He turned toward Raven and asked, "Did he do the same things to you?" The whole team found it weird how he specifically inquired that from her. They speculated that it was probably because of Robin's declaration during his interview. But something told them that the Dark Knight knew more than what he was telling them.

"He drugged me and chained me to my bed. I was unconscious for two days." was her only reply, as if she was just retelling facts and not remembering a dreadful experience.

"And he sent us a ball with holographic messages taunting us!" Beastboy interjected once again.

"That's how we got to your IP address and how we're talking to you now." Raven added, finally putting Batman up-to-speed about the latest events.

"Hmm.." he mused thoughtfully, with his hand under his chin. "What did he say while he was taunting you?"

"He knew where Terra lived!" Beastboy exclaimed, his hands flailing in the air.

"He knew very _intimate_ information about us." Starfire said sadly, burying her head on Aqualad's shoulder.

"He asked about the arm he tore off." Cyborg said, "Which meant that he knew that it was fixed already."

"And he wouldn't know that if he weren't watching you closely." Batman concluded, using the clues that the Titans gave him.

"But how can he do that?" Beastboy asked in disbelief.

"Surveillance cameras. You have them around the Tower right?" Batman suggested, seemingly irritated that he had to point it out to them.

"Damnit! No way he could've hacked my system!" Cyborg shouted out as he hurried out of the common room.

"He's Robin. What do you expect?" Raven replied sarcastically as the other Titans followed Cyborg out of the room.

"Raven, aren't you going with us?" Beastboy asked as he looked back at his teammate.

"Go. I still have to talk to Batman about something." she gave him a small smile as he gave her a wondering look before leaving the common room.

Raven turned back to the laptop to talk to the Dark Knight.

"What happened to the location that I gave you?" she asked him, demanding answers of her own.

"I didn't know I had to report to you about that." Batman replied, somewhat teasing the empath.

She didn't take the joke lightly. "I could've helped you with the mission. You should've told me once you figured out their location."

"Well then you don't know me that well, Raven."

"What happened?" she asked, her tone becoming darker and more threatening.

Batman heaved a sigh, as if he felt the weight that those memories carried. But the look in his eyes showed the determination he had to tell her the story.

* * *

The Dark Knight's cape fluttered as he landed on the yacht anchored in the harbor of the Gotham ports. After acquiring the location Raven gave him, he was disgusted to say the least that Slade had even thought to bring Robin to this city - _his _city. He vowed to make the villain pay for terrorizing his adopted son. But as soon as he felt a presence from behind him, he knew that he would already have his chance.

He narrowly dodged from a roundhouse kick that was about to hit his head. He jumped up and stood a few meters away from his attacker, knowing all too well who it was.

"Welcome Batman, I've been expecting you." Slade greeted in his chilling voice.

"Where's Robin?" he spat out, not letting the fact that Slade knew that he was coming phase him.

"Patience, my friend. I will let you meet him soon. For now... how about a little warm up?" He set himself in a fighting stance, ready to go against the famous Batman.

The Dark Knight didn't waste any time. He threw a swift punch toward the masked villain but he caught his wrist and flung him over to the side. Batman landed on his feet, and charged again, this time going for a flying kick. He hit Slade square in the jaw and sent him flying to the other side. He got up just in time to catch Batman running toward him. Using his own momentum against him, he sent a hard punch to his chest, breaking one of his ribs in the process. He clutched his chest in pain, giving Slade the opportunity to raise a balled fist over his head and send it crashing over his skull. He fell to the floor, but used this to an advantage as he knocked the masked villain down with a strategic roundhouse kick. Slade fell to the floor as well, which caused their fight to turn into an all-out brawl. Punches and kicks were sent from the two grown men as blood started splattering all around them. It became less and less about technique, and more and more about survival. Both men refused to back down from the other, as if this fight would determine who deserved Robin more. Their attacks became more desperate as their wounds deepened, more pain being inflicted upon the other. But within a few moments, it was obvious that the Dark Knight was winning the battle. He was on his knees, upon Slade's defeated form lying on the floor. He was about to send a hard punch to the masked villain when a kick to his side sent him flying to the other end of the yacht.

"Ah finally you've decided to join us, my _apprentice_." Slade said as he slowly got up, making sure that Batman heard it to get on his nerves. The Dark Knight couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Robin in his old apprentice uniform. He wore a black body suit, with half of his torso in an orange color. He had metal accents all over his body, and steel toed boots at his feet. Batman tried to find some sort of expression on his face, telling him what he was thinking or if he was under some sort of mind control. But his expression or his posture wasn't giving anything away.

"What did you do to him, Slade?" Batman asked coldly as he turned toward the masked villain.

"Nothing, I assure you. He's doing it all out of his own free will. No nanobots, no mind games, no nothing. Isn't that right, Robin?"

Batman turned his gaze toward the Boy Wonder, who simply stood there, unmoving. The Dark Knight had no idea what was going on, but he was determined to make him snap out of it if it was the last thing that he did.

He was broken out of his reverie when Slade's command made him stand on alert. "Apprentice, _kill him." _

Before everything had time to sink in, Robin lunged forward with a punch aimed for Batman. He blocked it by raising his arms in a defensive stance. He had to admit that it worked, but it took all of his energy for it to do so. He was still worn out from his fight with Slade, which only meant that this match would only end in his defeat if he didn't think of a way to bring Robin back to their side. And as he blocked another powerful blow from the Boy Wonder, making him stumble slightly from its sheer intensity, he knew he was running out of time.

"Robin, it's me! Don't you recognize me?" Batman asked desperately.

His only reply was a sweeping kick to his legs, sending the Dark Knight to the wooden floor once again. He could only take that as a yes. He narrowly dodged Robin' foot crashing down upon him; he decided to try a different approach.

"You can still turn away from this life. Come back before you get any deeper into this hell."

Robin stayed silent as he sent a kick toward Batman's stomach, making him take a step back as he bent over and coughed up blood. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. But he was well aware that it wouldn't take too long before Robin delivered the final blow to him. He threw a batarang toward his adopted son, praying that it wouldn't hit anything vital, though he did aim it at his chest. The Boy Wonder caught the weapon with two fingers and simply tossed it aside, as if it were just a piece of paper.

"Your friends are looking for you. Raven sent me to find you and bring you back. It's about time you saw them again." Batman said as his final tactic to get through to Robin. He wasn't sure if it was right to bring his teammates into this, but he was running out of options. If he didn't respond to the team that he led for so long, then he knew that all hope would be lost.

Robin froze in his tracks, seemingly dumbfounded by what he heard. Even Slade was shocked to see his perfect apprentice affected by a few words about his teammates, people that completely forgot about him.

Batman smirked upon seeing his reaction, breathing out a sigh of relief when he finally got through to the Boy Wonder. He opened his mouth to speak once again, buying him some time to regain his strength and recover even just a little bit from his injuries.

"Raven wanted to come here. She even threatened me so she could tag along. She's been waiting for you, Robin. You have to go back to her, to them."

Robin simply stood there where he was, an inner turmoil seemingly raging within his mind. Batman was proud of his adopted son, seeing as he was not completely lost to him. Slade, on the other hand, was panicking; he knew how much his apprentice cared for Raven, and he was inwardly cursing Batman for knowing which of the relationships in the Tower he should exploit. And now he was about to lose his apprentice because of it.

"Robin, don't listen to him! Finish him right now or else." Slade ordered to his apprentice, hoping against hope that he hadn't completely lost him to the Dark Knight.

Robin still stood frozen on his spot, seemingly contemplating upon something. The two other men on the yacht were carefully waiting for his next move, hoping that he would follow their own orders. But what they should've realized was that the Boy Wonder had a mind of his own, and he wouldn't just blindly follow orders. Especially when a purple-haired empath was involved.

Before anyone knew what was going on, Robin suddenly appeared behind Batman, his arms forming a lock over his neck. Slade's eye widened behind his mask as he watched the Boy Wonder choke his foster father. Batman still couldn't believe what was happening as he felt the oxygen leaving his system as the seconds passed. He knew that this was the end, and somehow he found it in his heart to accept this forlorn fate, no matter how twisted it may seem. If he had to give up his life to save his son from punishment, then so be it. But right before he passed out into unconsciousness, he heard his adopted son whisper something in his ear. His eyes widened in shock before the darkness overcame him.

The great Batman's body slumped down to the floor, right at Robin's feet. Slade was surprised to say the least that his apprentice could do what many have attempted, but no one had ever accomplished: defeat the Dark Knight. He moved toward Batman's fallen form and checked his pulse, only to feel nothing there. He gazed upon his apprentice with so much pride that he could barely contain it. (1)

"I am beyond impressed, Robin. I didn't think you had it in you to kill your mentor. After disposing his body, I will have a reward for you." Slade said as he went inside the yacht, leaving Robin to dump his foster father's body into the ocean. He did so with a blank expression on his face, giving nothing away as to what he was feeling.

The Dark Knight's body crashed on to the waters below, bringing him down to its icy depths. But only after a few moments, he suddenly burst into life and swam up to the surface. He gasped in the air, regaining much needed oxygen into his system. He had no idea how he was still alive, but one thing was certain in his mind: Robin had saved him.

* * *

Raven was beyond shocked at what she heard. She didn't know what to believe. Was Robin that strong already- strong enough to defeat Batman? And why did he save his former mentor? His narration of the past events only left her with more questions than answers. But one question stood above the rest.

"What did he whisper to you, just before you blacked out?" she asked, a hint of worry etched in her tone.

Batman was slightly taken aback by her frank and straightforward manner, but he simply cleared his throat and said: "It was a message, for you actually." He curiously gauged her expression and saw it change from shock to curiosity. "What did he say?' she urged on.

"He said: Tell Raven to stop trying to look for me. Tell her that I will come back for her; I will go to her soon. Just tell her to stop looking for me. It isn't safe for her."

Raven's eyes widened at what she heard. She didn't know how to react to such a message. What did he mean that it wasn't safe for her? Could she have been in danger just by looking for him?

It sent chills up her spine when she realized that Robin had kept his promise when he came back to the Tower only a few weeks ago. She became more afraid of what he was capable of, especially with what Batman told her. She wondered if they even had a chance against him, if they could still defeat him at this point. Now, the only option they had, it seemed, was to give herself to him. But could she really do that? Could she hand herself to a madman to save her friends?

"I can't say I don't believe your friends with everything that they said here awhile ago." Batman said, bringing Raven out of her thoughts. "I know how much he's changed, what he's capable of. But I also know there is still some good left in him. And I think you're the only one that can bring that out of him."

Raven simply stared at the Dark Knight, dumbfounded by his words. She felt embarrassed to be so shocked in _the _Batman's presence, but she was having a hard time making sense of everything that he was saying. He continued, understanding the lost expression on the empath's face.

"I knew Robin could've killed me right then and there. I knew it would've only taken such minimal effort to do it on his part. And I could feel it from him, I knew he was determined to follow Slade and end me right then and there. That was, until I mentioned your name. When I told him about you, his expression changed; he seemed to be considering something. Even Slade sensed that something changed in him at that moment. That was when he changed his mind. That was when he decided to spare my life. He could've easily killed me then. But hearing your name reminded him of some semblance of morality, of justice, of everything he stood for as a hero. That's why I think you're the only one who can get him back on the right track."

"How can I do that?" she asked, greatly unsure of herself.

"Just go to him. Talk to him. Try to remind him of who he was as a hero. I was under the impression that he was wiling to do anything for you." He did it again; he was teasing Raven despite his cold demeanor. There was something about the purple-haired empath that compelled him to do so. Maybe because he found a monotone to rival his own gruff tone, aside from the fact that he believed that she was the only one capable of saving his foster son from evil.

"But if I go to him, wouldn't that be giving him what he wants? He may lose whatever reservations he has and do whatever he wants if he finally has me."

"No. You have to go to him to influence him, to get him back from whatever hell-hole Slade put him in before it's too late. Raven, you have to do it. You're the only one who can."

Raven paused for awhile, allowing herself to understand the Dark Knight's words. Was he right? Was she the only one who could save him from himself? Was she strong enough to get him from his dark side?

"I'll try. But I'll admit, that's all I can do. You know how dangerous he's become."

"That's all I ask" he replied, with a miniscule smile. "Please save my son."

"I'll do my best." It was more of a reply, it was a promise.

And with that, Batman ended the transmission, leaving him to stare at the information before him inside the Batcave.

"If I may, sir.." Alfred began, standing behind him.

"What is it, Alfred?"

The butler cleared his throat before continuing. "Do you think you are a bit too biased with Master Dick's behavior? Just because he saved you sir, doesn't lessen the gravity of his crimes."

"He hasn't done anything wrong, Alfred. He just tied up the Titans and taunted them. I don't think that those actions spell world domination or anything to that effect. He's even single-handedly saving Jump City for the past week. "

"Are you sure that is all sir? There may be more things to be discovered if we look beyond the surface."

Batman suddenly stood up from his chair, furious at what Alfred was insinuating. "So what are you saying Alfred? That my son is a criminal? Hadn't we had enough of this with Jason? I am not letting another Robin stand on the wrong side of the law." And with that, the Dark Knight stormed out of the Batcave, leaving Alfred with a tray of untouched food in his hands.

* * *

Raven sat alone in the Titans East common room, trying to process everything that Batman had said. She honestly didn't know if she had it in her to make Robin the hero that he once was. It certainly didn't help that she didn't know the full extent of what he was doing, since they were obviously one step behind him in his plans. Not to mention the fact that she was slowly falling to his charms, no matter how wrong that may be. She had loved Robin for awhile now, and to have him reciprocate, to even go to lengths as to admit his love for her on national television. It didn't matter if he was becoming a psychopath, all she knew was that she was happy to have him love her back.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she heard a _swoosh _of metal doors as Speedy came in, with a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, how are you?" Speedy asked, as he took a seat next to Raven on the sofa.

"I've been better. So what's up?" she replied casually as she turned to face him, closing the laptop as she did.

"Oh..uh..nothing.. I just...uh.. The team was going to decide on something important and they wanted you to be there." he explained as he nervously scratched the back of his red head.

"Okay." she simply said as she stood up. Speedy got up with her in a panic, which puzzled the empath greatly.

"Speedy, is everything alright?" she asked nervously.

The archer just shook his head and held her arms tightly, never breaching the space they had in between them. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." His tone was solemn now, showing her just how serious he really was. "I mean, you've gone through a lot these past few weeks, especially since Robin's been openly showing his obsession for you. And trust me, I've been friends with that guy longer than any of you, and I know he takes his obsessions seriously. I honestly believe it's a miracle how you're still so calm about all of this."

Raven was pleasantly surprised about his concern. It had been hard on her especially since her own teammates didn't seem to comfort her, since they were all too busy with their own problems. But she was thankful that at least Speedy was there to console her, especially now that she was more confused than ever. She could probably momentarily forget his reputation as a serial womanizer and focused more on the fact that they have been relatively close, even before this whole mess with Robin began.

"Thanks, Speedy. It means a lot." she replied with a smile. "Unless this is your way of getting to cop a feel." Her smile had a playful twist to it now, which only made the red-haired archer laugh.

He wrapped his arms around her frail body, as if to protect her from the dangers that lay ahead. "Of course not, little bird." he replied, his tone still as solemn as before. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Right at that exact moment, the lights in the Tower turned off for just a second, and instantly went back on. As soon as it did, Speedy and Raven broke from their embrace, getting ready for an attack. All they got though was Cyborg's entrance to the common room, along with the rest of the Titans.

"Sorry we didn't wait for you, Rae. But we had to cut the surveillance cameras before Robin could get any more information from us." Cyborg said, as he approached the empath.

"What do you mean? What did you guys do?" she replied, still utterly confused at all the events that had transpired.

"We found out that Robin was spying on us through our surveillance cameras. We couldn't sever his connection so we just cut off the feed completely; making sure that he won't be able to watch us anymore. I hope you're alright with that. We know that there are a lot of security risks involved in doing that, but we really didn't want to take any chances, especially with Robin." he explained to his little sister, placing an arm on her shoulder, hoping that she'd understand. She gave him an assuring nod that she did. She just hoped that their actions wouldn't cause more harm than good.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Titans Tower, one man was not happy at the static that he was seeing through his computer screen, especially since the last thing he saw was Speedy hugging _his _Raven.

"Wintergreen, what happened?" he exclaimed, his balled-up fists crashing on the keyboard.

Wintergreen, Slade's old servant, had sworn allegiance to him after he had defeated his former master. But he was suddenly second guessing his decision to serve a seemingly crazier madman as he nervously replied, "They cut their video surveillance. We can't tap on to anything because there's nothing for us to watch."

He let out an animalistic growl which got his servant cowering in fear. "Call in D-15. Tell him I require his services _immediately._"

"S-sir? You're going t-to send him already? But they won't stand a chance against him!'

"That's what they get for thinking that they could mess with me. And no one, I mean _no one _can touch my Raven. No one but _me."_

* * *

**A/N : Okay, so I do believe a gigantic apology is in order. Sorry it took a long while for me to update! Things have been just so crazy for me academically and everything else that I barely had time to eat or sleep. :| Actually I still have 2 major papers and a portfolio to work on, but I felt so bad for you guys so I did this chapter first! Tee hee. I'm working on the next chapter so (hopefully) I can post it in the coming days. I'm really sorry guys! But with summer coming up, I really hope that I can make it up to you. :| **

**I tried to get Batman into character as much as I could, but I couldn't help it during the part that he was teasing Raven, (though OOC for him :)) ) **

**(1) : Don't ask me how this is possible, I just watched it on Arrow and decided to use it for that scene. Mehehe. :))**

**I am also sorry that this chapter felt so long, and had so many things happening in it at once, but I didn't know how else to cut it. **

**I should have done this long ago, but yeah better late than never I guess. I just like to thank : TheDreamChaser, acrobats they tumble, CookieSpells4 ,discb, thenightassassin, jeyyflorez, Unkown Stranger, JanthanSeddie Fanatic, giaolinh, Cat,The-Lithe , Amaris-the-Demon, Xaphrin(the Goddess),Grace of Antiquity, FlawlessAngel10, Kittylover,HockeyKid6622, WonderfullyDark (got the Speedy/Rae idea from you, thanks! :),ahsokalo, MK(I hope you don't kill me for updating so long :)) But thank you so much! :D) and everyone else who is reading this story. You are all the awesomest people in the world! :D **

**And I do not own anything- not the Teen Titans, Audioslave's Number 1 Zero or Teegan and Sara's Living Room.**

**Anyway, hope you are all having an awesome day and Happy Easter everyone! :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_"I can't see me lovin' nobody but you  
For all my life  
When you're with me baby the skies'll be blue  
For all my life  
You and me!  
(I can't see me lovin' nobody but you)  
Me and you!  
You and me!  
(I can't see me lovin' nobody but you)  
Me and you!"_

_- Filter, Happy Together (Cover)_

* * *

Raven floated to her room, exhausted with all the revelations that have been divulged to her that day. She didn't know what to make of Batman's plea to save his adopted son, or Speedy's sudden concern and closeness. She only hoped that Cyborg's decision to cut the surveillance video feed wouldn't cause them anymore trouble. She had a bad feeling about what they had done, but she didn't want to tell them about it since she didn't have proof of it, anyway.

As she went inside her room, her eyes darted to her bed, focusing their attention on a small, black box. She suddenly remembered its presence; it was a gift for her that was delivered inside Robin's silver ball of taunting messages. She hadn't had the time to look at it through all of the commotion that occurred in the Tower. She walked nervously toward the box, fearing its contents. What did Robin give her? Her wondering thoughts were answered as she opened the box to find a note. It only had these words written on them:

_For your protection._

_Never take it off. Ever._

She was puzzled by the note, but was even more confused when underneath it she found...a necklace?

It was a small amethyst gem in the shape of a raven, attached to a gold chain. She found it interesting that with everything that has been happening, Robin had even thought to give her jewelry. She chuckled to herself, finding it amusing that even psychopaths still had a gentleman-ly side to them. She wore the necklace, hoping that the others wouldn't notice it and start asking questions. For just a little while, she wanted to enjoy her gift and pretend that it didn't come from their enemy.

* * *

The next day began with an attack in the city. There was a robbery in a local bank downtown and the Titans came to stop it. Three masked robbers stepped out of the bank they had just stolen from, only to find the Titans East _and_ the Titans West waiting for them outside. They ran toward their getaway van, but the Titans were right behind them.

As they were comically chasing each other through the streets of Steel City, one man was on a rooftop, just a few buildings from where the Titans were, preparing his gun for them. He was wearing black combat boots above black pants. He had a black vest with numerous bullets hanging on it atop a black jumpsuit. He wore wrist turrets on each of his arms so he could easily shoot at his enemies. He had light brown hair, an arched nose and a specialized eyepatch on his right eye. (1)

He cocked his sniper rifle and placed it on a stand, ready to shoot at his unknowing target. This man was one of the most notorious villains known in the world. He was never known to miss a shot. And this day was not an exception.

As the Titans came running into view, he saw his target and grinned wickedly. He found this job perfect, since he could get back at the Hood for messing up his eye. Well, the sidekick, at least.

Without even a second thought, he shot at the red-headed archer, who was unknowingly running to his death.

Raven was flying beside him when she felt danger approaching them. She looked to her right and saw the bullet that was heading straight for Speedy. She chanted her mantra and put up a shield above him, praying that she wasn't too late.

Speedy was surprised to say the least to see a black shield suddenly appear in front of him. But he was shocked even more to hear a *ping* from the shield. He saw a bullet flying off to the other side, successfully deflected by Raven's energy shield. He mentally reminded himself to thank Raven with a kiss for that after all of this was over. Wait, did he just say that?

From across the rooftop, the gunman was infuriated when he saw a shield suddenly come up from nowhere and save his target from certain death. He watched the scene below curiously, noticing a girl in a purple hood approach his target with concern etched on her face. He decided to take out the girl first and continue with the archer. But he instantly pulled his hands from the trigger when he saw the amethyst gem on her neck.

He was then reminded of his assignment: take out the archer. But if he saw a girl with an amethyst necklace, he was to make sure that she was unharmed. And everyone else was to receive 'warning shots'. The archer did too, if the girl in the amethyst necklace gave a pleasing answer.

He then replaced his sniper rifle with a tranquilizer gun and started shooting away at the young superheroes. Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, Starfire, Beastboy and Bumblebee were all on the floor, paralyzed.

Cyborg, Aqualad and Mas y Menos had just finished handing over the robbers to the police when they heard the gunshots. They rushed to the other Titans only to find half of the team on the floor, unmoving.

A look of horror spread across Cyborg's face when he heard laughter from the rooftops. He looked up and saw the gunman, laughing right at his face.

"Calm down, Metal man. They're not dead, just paralyzed. You kids are lucky that the Master was in a pretty good mood today. Only asked me to send warning shots." he said in such a mocking tone that made Cyborg's blood boil.

"Well, except for that kid there." he added, pointing a finger at Speedy.

"Me? What did I do?" Speedy exclaimed, panic coloring his voice.

"Well, aside from the fact that the Hood did this to me," the gunman pointed to his right eye. "you apparently stole the Master's girl." As he said those words, he got his rifle ready, pointing it at the archer.

"No way. You're Deadshot!" Speedy exclaimed, recognizing him from Green Arrow's list.

The other Titans stood dumbfounded at the realization. Deadshot was one of the most dangerous villains around, not to mention that he was part of the Suicide Squad. They knew they barely stood a chance against him.

"That's me. And you better remember that." He had almost pulled on the trigger when Raven's voice stopped him.

"Wait!" she screamed. Fortunately for them, Raven's brain was working on overtime, developing a plan before he could take another shot. "What does the master want with Speedy?" She hastily made the assumption that his 'master' was actually Robin. If he was, then she could strike up a deal with Deadshot, allowing the Titans to leave with their lives.

"I told you, he's paying 'cause he stole his girl." the gunman replied, slightly amused at Raven's rashness.

"Well I'm his girl and no one has stolen me yet." she said defiantly, praying to whoever God was listening that she was playing her cards right. "So tell your master that if he wants me, then he'd better come get me."

Deadshot's lips curved into a dangerous smirk. It was as if Raven's answer was the exact thing that he was looking for.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to pass it on." he replied as he switched guns.

Raven let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She was thankful that it seemed that the gunman wasn't going to kill anyone that day.

Or was he?

Before anyone could react, Deadshot fired at the remaining Titans, sending them crashing to the floor. Cyborg and Aqualad didn't stand a chance. Speedy tried to take him out with an arrow but the bullet proved to be much faster. Mas y Menos tried to run with their lightning speed but Deadshot fired ahead of them, sending the twins to the ground.

"Super speed is useless if you know where they'll be." he muttered under his breath.

Raven's eyes glowed white as she prepared for her own shot that was coming but the gunman just shook her off.

"No need for that, miss. The Master explicitly said not to harm the girl wearing the amethyst necklace." he explained as he started picking up his guns.

Raven's mouth fell open as she clutched the necklace that Robin has given her. It was only then that she understood its purpose. It served as a marker for his lackeys, to tell them that she was '_his girl'_ as Deadshot had put it.

There were a million questions that were going through her mind at that time. What did all of this mean? She looked up to ask more questions from Deadshot, but he was already gone. She heaved a deep sigh, as her mind was drowning in questions and mysteries. She slowly made her way toward her teammates, as she was left all alone to care for their paralyzed selves.

She wondered what Robin was up to as she created a giant raven and transported them all back to the Tower.

* * *

Raven was thankful that none of them had sustained major injuries. They were all just paralyzed from head to toe... And will stay that way for another couple of hours.

That meant that Raven was the only one who could protect Steel City.

And the only one who could defend them if ever someone attacked the Tower.

She let out a breath; obviously she didn't want to be in this position. She wasn't sure she could defend herself with all the villains coming to the city, how could she protect the whole Tower filled with her friends? She made sure that everyone was resting in their rooms, and retreated to her own. She entered it alone, chuckling a little to herself at the fact. Even though she was supposed to share the room with Starfire, the alien princess still chose to lie beside her boyfriend Aqualad. Not that they could do anything while they were completely paralyzed, but she guessed that the simple fact that they were lying beside each other comforted them already. She mentally vomited at the idea.

Her room felt too empty as the night sky shrouded it in darkness. Before she knew it, it was already 11 PM. Taking care of the Titans' paralyzed forms took a lot out of her day. She took off her cloak for the night, feeling that it somehow weighed her down recently. She gazed out the large windows of her room, feeling more isolated than ever before. She allowed her mind to wonder about the past events that have just occurred.

She sighed as she held the small, amethyst necklace in her hand. She could feel Robin's obsession for her already start to affect the Titans. No one wanted to talk to her as much; she even believed that Beastboy hated her to a certain extent. He didn't say anything, but she could feel his repressed anger coming off of him in waves, directed at her. He was blaming her. In his mind, she was the reason why Robin was terrorizing the Titans, though both of them knew that Raven didn't want for any of this to happen. It just felt so much easier to have someone to blame.

Cyborg was too busy trying to be the leader and take control of the situation to be her overprotective brother-figure. Though clearly, the situation was so bad that no one even understood what was going on, let alone have any control over it. So, he just let out his frustrations at Bumblebee, both sexual and other forms.

Starfire on the other hand, felt too awkward around her. Well that was understandable. How could she talk to her best friend, who was now the obsession of her ex-boyfriend, who she dumped for an Atlantian prince? That sentence even felt too compounded for her to construct, let alone comprehend.

In fact, the only person who was really talking to her in the Tower was Speedy. But then Robin suddenly decided to become too possessive of her and ordered a hit on the archer, just because he hugged her during her time of need.

The overly-complicated situations made her head hurt as she tried to understand them all. She had already meditated that day, but she was still left confused and alone. There was no one who could be there for her as she tried to sort things out. She wanted so badly to talk to someone, anyone, but they all were incapacitated at the moment.

She let out a sigh as she lifted her hands to remove the beautiful necklace off of her neck. She decided that Robin was making things too complicated for her. She needed time to understand everything, to sort things through, especially her feelings for him that have been-

Before she could even finish that thought, her body tensed up as she felt two hands stopping her own from removing the clasp of her necklace.

"I told you never to take this off. You have no idea what bad things might happen to you if you do."

His voice alone made her whole body freeze. She couldn't believe her ears. Was he really here? How could he even think of coming to the one place where he was most unwelcome?

"Robin..?" she breathed out in disbelief.

"The one and only." She could hear an edge of a smile in his reply.

"You're not supposed to be here." she said, with a hint of worry in her tone. She had to get him out of here before their teammates find him- but they couldn't do that if they were all _paralyzed_. It was only then that she realized that this was his plan all along. The Titans' current condition gave Robin the perfect opportunity to come to the Tower. She shuddered at the thought, seeing how well-planned his tactics were. Her stomach turned in horror, fearing what he had in store for her.

"What? But you asked me to come here." he replied playfully as he took her hands and moved them over her head, placing them in front of her waist. Before she knew it, she held her in an unrelenting bind; she tried to squirm, but there was no way out.

"I believe your words where somewhere along the lines of, 'come and get me..?" he teased as he rested his head on her shoulder.

She realized he was referring to the earlier encounter with Deadshot, somewhat confirming her suspicions that he was the 'Master' that the gunman was talking about. But instead of being affected by fear, she went on for a more playful reply. "You're paraphrasing. I did not sound like a wanton hussy."

He chuckled lightly at her response, surprised that she decided to humor him. "And that's what I love about you." He started kissing her neck, making her lose hold of all form of logic. The warmth of his kisses was driving her mad. Her supposedly cold resolve against her former leader was swiftly melting away, only leaving the love that she had for him all this time. Even though she knew it was wrong, so wrong…

"What..are..you...doing?" she was biting back a moan, mentally berating herself for falling too easily to his charms.

"Tasting you." he managed to blurt out as his tongue traced her neck ever so slowly. The movement sent shivers down her spine, relishing the tempting feeling of his tongue on her skin. His arms pressed her body tighter into his, never wanting to let her go, never forgetting the taste of her skin, never ending their pleasure.

She unconsciously exposed her neck to him, giving him free reign to do what he wanted. His lips formed into a wicked grin before he started sucking on the skin before him, as if he had an insatiable thirst that only she could satisfy. It was then he knew that he only wanted her. There would be no substitute for his ravenous desire. He knew now that only Raven could fill the longing of his heart, of his soul. Only the dark sorceress could make him feel whole; she was the only one who could make every fiber of his being burst into life. It was only Raven now. Only her skin, only her lips, only her.

She couldn't suppress the moan that escaped her lips then, desire sweeping over them. It was only then that she realized how much she wanted him to touch her that way, to hold possession of her as if she were his, to drink the essence of her skin as if she were a fine class of wine. But she knew that this was wrong. His kisses didn't change anything between them. He was still after her teammates. He was still a criminal, running from the law. He was still the sinner pretending to be a saint.

As his lips moved up to nibble her ear, her eyes flew wide open, morality finally coming back to her senses. "STOP!" she screamed, using her powers to pry his arms off of her. A black wave of energy emanated from her, sending Robin to the other side of the room. But he easily shifted his position so he could land on his feet, watching her movements, wondering what he did wrong.

"We can't do this." She said, her voice faltering with each word.

"Why not?" He started walking toward her, desperate for her not to leave his side again.

"This is wrong and you know it." She tried to walk away from him, but within seconds, he was only a few meters away from her,

"They're the ones who are wrong, Raven! They're the ones stealing you from me!" His voice lost the cool façade that it always had. He was allowing his emotions to run free, exposing himself in front of her for the man that he really was.

"And they have a pretty good reason to, Robin!" She turned to face him now, her own emotions coloring her voice as well. "You did have them almost killed a number of times. You have them all paralyzed right now! Doesn't that say a lot already?"

"They should be thankful that I haven't killed them yet!" His voice was suddenly something that Raven could not recognize. She took a step back, the fear and danger being revealed right before her very eyes. This was the danger that surrounded Robin, this was the real Boy Wonder now. Someone very far from who he once was.

"Do you know how easy it would be for me to _kill _them? I single-handedly killed Slade without even breaking a sweat. How hard do you think it would be to add the Titans to that list?"

Even from the darkness of her room, Raven clearly saw Robin's features. The way his face contorted into an expression of pure hatred, of _evil. _She couldn't do anything but to take a step back, in fear of what he could do in the fit of his rage. But despite the fear, her questioning mind got the best of her, as she asked:

"So that's why you sent Deadshot here? So that he could do it for you? Isn't that right, _Master?_" She instantly regretted the sharp edge her tone had. She wouldn't be surprised if he murdered her right then and there.

"Yes, I am the Master." He replied with a tinge of pride in his voice. "And you have only begun to comprehend what that truly _means_." Raven opened her mouth to speak, wanting to know what he meant with those words, but he cut her off as he continued:

"Like I said, he was only to send _warning shots._ Hence the reason why they're still alive right now."

"Yeah, just completely paralyzed."

"Oh they can't be completely spared, Raven. Not after what they've done to me. Not after what they've done to you."

Raven didn't even notice his movements, but before she knew it, Robin was right in front of her, caressing her face ever so softly, his rage disappearing instantly once he touched her cheek.

All the hostility left Raven's voice as well as she breathed out his name. "Robin…" She looked down and shook her head, hiding herself from his smoldering gaze. She couldn't fall prey to his charms- _not again. _ She had to stay strong, for Batman, for her friends, for what was right. "They haven't done anything to me. They tried to find you, we all did. Please, can you just leave them alone?" she practically begged those last few words, hoping against hope that he would listen.

He only replied with maniacal laughter, throwing back his head as the eerie sound filled the room. "No, Raven. I saw with my very own eyes how they have been hurting you, how they gave up on looking for me after two months- _two damn months! _"

"So you have been watching us!" Raven exclaimed, finding something to be angry about; something she could hold on to so that she wouldn't fall to his charms again.

"Oh, didn't you know? I've been watching you all for years now. I know your every movement, your gestures, your true intentions… everything. I've been watching you all."

Raven's fists began curling up into balls. "How could you?! Didn't you respect our privacy? Did you watch us while we bathed, while we ate, while we _slept_? What kind of a sick person are you?"

"The one who wouldn't last a day without you."

Her anger disappeared instantly as he said those menacing words. She felt the swift change in his emotions. He was no longer the playful hero she remembered him to be. She saw him for who he was now: the evil _Master._

Even behind the mask, she could feel his gaze boring into her, looking at her possessively. It was only then did she feel the blackness of his heart, the evil that he had worked so hard to conceal. He had sheathed it all for her at that moment, and all she could do was to slowly back away.

Before she even had a chance to speak, he was suddenly upon her, harshly pinning her to the steel door. Her back shivered at the contact of the cold, metal door against her body, while Robin's warm chest pressed tightly to her own. He held her wrists forcefully against the door, already bruising them in his hold, telling her that there was no escape.

"Do you know how easy it would be for me to take you right now?" he whispered harshly against her ear. "Do you have any idea how I can just claim you as my own, how I can finally have the one woman that has been in my heart and soul for the past two years?" He inhaled her scent, as if it were an addicting drug. "Can't you see how helpless you are in my arms? I can just rip your leotard off and you will be _mine." _ He let go of one of her wrists so he could trace the sides of her body, making her feel like he burned her skin with his every touch. He licked his lips, telling her of the overwhelming desire that he was feeling right now.

Raven had never felt so helpless in her life. She was counting down the seconds before the man before her took her for everything that she was. She cowered in fear at the thought, though a part of her wanted it to happen. She closed her eyes, trying to control her conflicting emotions. How could she still love the man before her when it looked like he was going to devour her any second now?

"But I won't."

He suddenly let go of her wrists and backed away from her, the evil aura suddenly disappearing from his persona.

"I won't force myself upon you. I will never make you do anything that you wouldn't want to. I want you to come to me _willingly. _I don't care if takes months or years for you to do so, but I swear Raven, I will do everything in my power to make you _love _me."

Her face twisted into a confused expression. She didn't know what to make of Robin's words. Did that... did that mean that he truly loved her? That he loved her so much that he was willing to wait for her to love him back? Was this what Batman was talking about yesterday, the remnants of who he was as a hero? And if it was, could she really be the one to bring out that side of him, to overcome the evil persona that she just saw?

"Robin, I…" she reached out to touch his face, though she didn't know why. Confused thoughts swam in her head as she drew closer to the man before her. As she lifted herself up to reach his face, only one thought crossed her mind. As he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist, he felt hope springing forth from his chest, his mind asking him just one question. As their lips were only a breath away from each other, they wanted to know the same thing : was this the love that could finally bring them together?

Right at that moment, the door in Raven's room _swooshed _open, allowing a shirtless Speedy entrance into her room. Both of them turned around just in time to hear the archer scream :

"ROBIN. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH HER?"

* * *

**A/N: So yeah it's 6 am, and the sun is shining outside, but this chapter just demanded to be written and so here it is! I suppose it's my way of saying sorry for updating so long. :)) But yeah... it wasn't supposed to end that way. I was honestly surprised at how it ended up but oh well. Whatever works I guess.**

**(1) : I am using the version of Deadshot in Arrow, and not in the comics because I'm more familiar with that version of him. (Though he did appear in Teen Titans # 18 but because I am slowly becoming quite irritated with Lobdell... so yeah. :)) ) Oh and I am so sorry, but erratum last chapter : it was supposed to be D-16 not D-15. I gave him that codename for D(eadshot)-16, which was the last episode he appeared in Arrow. But yeah initially made a mistake. Sorry about that :)) **

**I suggest you listen to that particular cover of that song. It's quite dark and fitting. Tee hee. :**

**Thank you once again to jeyyflorezz, thenightassassin, Dakatmew (okay that wasn't five minutes, but I hope it was quick enough for you :)) ), Xxsnow dreamxX (thank you, you make me blush :"), ahsokalo (hihi,thanks for the suggestion! don't worry, we'll get there..eventually. hihi :) , TheDreamChaser, discb (thank you! huhu I really appreciated that D:, acrobats they tumble. And to everyone else who is reading this story!**

******Thank you all once again! I love you all and hope you are all having a nice day! :D **

**(yaaaayy I can go to sleep now. Crap there's sunlight already. =)) )**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"_Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl  
Than to be with another man  
You better keep your head, little girl  
Or you won't know where I am _

_Well I know that I'm a wicked guy  
And I was born with a jealous mind  
And I can't spend my whole life  
Trying just to make you toe the line _

_You better run for your life if you can, little girl  
Hide your head in the sand little girl  
Catch you with another man  
That's the end'a little girl "_

_-The Beatles, Run For Your Life_

* * *

Speedy woke up completely soaked in sweat. He started to gain feeling in his arms and limbs, signs that the effects of the drug that paralyzed them were wearing off. He slowly got up, still feeling a little numb but he could move nonetheless. He took off his shirt instantly, disliking the feeling of it sticking on his skin. He listened for signs of movement in the Tower, but he found none. It wasn't surprising that he was the first of the Titans to recover, since his body was used to flushing out drugs out of his system.

His mind instantly went to Raven, since she was the only one who was supposedly functioning in the Tower. He was starting to worry about her, since they came here to the Tower. He knew the emotional toll it took on her psyche, especially with everything that was happening. He just wanted to help her, in the same way that she has been helping him through everything. And he couldn't deny it, but he was feeling something more for the empath. She was unlike all the other girls that he dated before. Maybe it was in the way that they bonded, or how she was helping him through his problems. Whatever it was, it made him want to go up against the Boy Wonder for a chance at the dark bird's heart.

He chuckled to himself as these thoughts swam in his head. As he was on his way to Raven's room to check up on her, he wondered how stupid he was for even thinking of going up against a psychopath like Robin. But even before all of this trouble started, he was one of his first friends. He knew him even before the Teen Titans were formed; something of a sidekick-to-sidekick friendship. Which was why he couldn't understand why he was doing all of this, especially his mad obsession with Raven.

Just then, he heard a loud _thud_ echo across the hallway. He feared the worst, assuming that the sound was coming from Raven's room. He raced toward it, wishing that she was alright. Though his legs still felt like lead, he moved against the pain and only stopped when he was right in front of her room. He punched in the access code quickly, hoping against hope that she was alright. When the metal doors did open however, his jaw dropped from his mouth at what he saw.

"ROBIN. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH HER?"

* * *

Raven stared at the archer dumbfounded; wondering what he was doing in front of her room, _without a shirt_ _on._ But her thoughts suddenly focused on the man that was holding her, on the hands that gripped her possessively. She looked up to see Robin's face twisted in anger. She could feel the fury coming off of him in waves, and her eyes widened in a state of panic. She completely forgot about the whole "stealing his girl" thing, and if he didn't get to put a bullet through Speedy awhile ago, this might be his chance to finally end the archer's life. Just because he hugged her.

"Roy, get out of here right now!" she screamed, trying to break from Robin's strong hold.

"Raven, what's going on?" Speedy exclaimed, utterly confused with what was happening.

"I mean it Roy! Get out of here before-" the words died on Raven's lips, as Robin placed his hand roughly over her mouth. She felt fear flood through her veins as his hands pressed tightly upon her lips. She no longer sensed the righteous hero that held her just moments ago. The evil master now took his place.

And that would not fare well for the archer who was standing shirtless in front of her.

"Raven," the _master _breathed out. She instantly froze upon hearing her name, not knowing what was going to happen next. "I almost forgot about your little _indiscretion _with Mr. Harper here." His voice sent shivers down her spine; it was so cold and devoid of emotion that she marveled at the sudden change. This only meant danger for the both of them, her mind reeling in the possible scenarios of what could happen.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the bed. Speedy kept on screaming, telling Robin to put her down, asking him what he was doing, but he paid him no mind. He finally settled her on the floor and released her mouth from his bind.

"Robin, please. Please don't hurt him." she managed to beg, though she hated herself for it. She didn't want to sound like a helpless victim, but in their current situation, that was exactly what she was. And that fact terrified her greatly, but she was more worried for Speedy's fate in his hands.

He let out a soft chuckle as he took out a pair of handcuffs from his utility belt. "I'm sorry dear, but there isn't any other fate for him. Don't worry, you'll get to watch him suffer." As he said those words, he took her arms and locked them over the headboard, leaving her trapped there. He took a sticky material, like what Red-X used, and placed it over her mouth. He looked pleased with his work, as he said in such a dark tone that it made her skin crawl, "And then you'll remember that you only belong to _me."_

She started thrashing from where she sat, trying her best to break through her bindings through physical strength alone. The material on her lips clearly prevented her from using her powers. And that meant that she couldn't help Speedy from his impending doom.

"_Robin! You can't do this! You can't kill him!" _ Raven screamed through their bond, as she watched him stand up to face the archer.

"_Of course I can, Raven. Do you know how many people I've killed?" _ he calmly replied through his thoughts.

Her blood froze in her veins in shock. Did she really want to know how much blood was on his hands? Did she want to know how far he had fallen into becoming a villain? Did she truly understand how _evil _he had become?

"_You know what, why don't I show you?" _ he suddenly thought through their bond.

Raven didn't have time to respond as he mentally showed her his past. The last thing she saw were the two boys, standing proudly in front of the other, and then her vision completely shifted to Robin's chilling memory.

* * *

It was a dark and cold night in New York. After their escapades in Gotham, they moved to bigger cities, taking care of their underground dealings there. Raven watched as Robin leapt through buildings in the city's lower district. He jumped from roof to roof, trying to blend in as much as he could in his apprentice attire. He finally landed in a deserted alley behind an inconspicuous club, save for a man who looked like a mob boss and his three henchmen.

He came closer to the man to start their meeting. His heart stopped when he finally saw his face. It had been more than ten years ago, but he will never forget that face for as long as he lived. His face had acquired a number of wrinkles through time, yet his hair was still jet black, just as he remembered. He wore a blue coat with a yellow polo on the inside. His face still held that sinister expression; just one look at him and you knew that he couldn't be trusted. (1)

Was this Slade's twisted idea of a joke? Did he have any idea what his presence did to him? He could barely suppress the desire to beat him to death, or hang his lifeless body off the Empire State Building. He couldn't believe that Slade sent him to meet Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents.

"Did Slade send you?" he asked gruffly, with a cigar in hand.

"Yes." was Robin's stern reply, trying his best to control the anger that was boiling in his veins right now.

"Then where's the money?" He was aggressive and impatient, not wanting to waste any more time than needed.

"It's being wired as we speak."

He pulled out a PDA and pressed a few buttons before a small sound could be heard, signaling that the transfer was complete.

The man gave Robin a beaming smile with a mischievous gleam in them.

"Thank you." He said with a little bow. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Wait." he called out in a low growl, his control quickly slipping away from him.

He waited for the mob boss to face him before continuing.

"Where's the shipment?" Robin asked again, clenching his fists as he spoke.

"Oh about that," Tony Zucco said teasingly, "I'm sorry but there's been a delay. You know how custom's been getting stricter around here. Don't worry; you'll get it in two week's time."

"And you'll be gone by then." Robin spat out, knowing that what he had said was a lie and they have been fooled.

"Yeah, but you'll still get the shipment. So everyone's happy." He was trying to appease Robin, not even realizing that he already knew that there was no shipment and that he double-crossed them.

There was a part of the Boy Wonder that was enthralled that he did. That meant that he had Slade's blessing to kill the lying bastard. He was ordered that if any one of the mob bosses was stupid enough to fool them, then he could kill them all. The good part about that was he would be able to finally avenge his parents after all these years, and earn Slade's approval at the same time.

But he quickly ended his thoughts, wondering what the hell was he thinking. How could he forget everything that he stood up for as a hero? Was he in too deep in this treacherous world that killing was suddenly okay with him? Didn't he remember everything that Batman taught him? Has he forgotten how wrong it was to exact revenge, no matter how tempting it may be?

No, he couldn't. He couldn't kill Tony Zucco no matter what happened. He can't take that one step that would make him just like the villains he used to catch on a daily basis. Even if it meant that he was going to earn a beating from Slade later. Even if it felt like he was spitting on his parents' graves.

He was still Robin, the Boy Wonder after all. And Robin didn't kill people.

He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white, the only sign of the war that was raging in his mind. But he quickly snapped out of his reverie when Tony Zucco opened his mouth once again.

"Hey, don't I know you?"

Robin's heart stopped in his chest. Was it possible? Could he have recognized who he was? Did the mob boss know he was the one who killed his parents?

"Aren't you Robin, one of the Teen Titans?"

Now that was something he did not expect.

He glared at Zucco, not wanting to indulge the murderer any longer. His resolve not to kill him was quickly slipping, now that he knew that he was a hero on the wrong side of the law.

Well, not willingly. But still...

The mob boss started laughing, a mocking sound that made Robin's blood boil. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that one of you costumed heroes went to the dark side. Now you'll see how fun it actually is!" He started bellowing out in laughter once again.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Robin replied, trying to play it off as a mistake.

"Oh please, you look exactly the same, except the suit. But that's easily changed right? I suppose its cause you switched sides. It's actually a big improvement to your old get-up." He threw his cigar on the floor and stubbed it with his leather, expensive-looking shoes.

"Hey, I'm heading to Jump City after this. I'll let your teammates know what you're up to." He let out another laugh. "Oh man, they will freak out when they find about you. Especially that creepy chic with the hood. I bet she'll finally have some emotion on her face when she learns what you've been doing here in New York." He threw his head back in laughter, completely forgetting the man who was before him.

Robin was fuming. He knew what he said about _still_ being a hero, about sticking to his morals that he had been upholding his whole life. But when he mentioned the Titans, when he talked about _Raven_, all heroic sense flew out of the window. This was the man that murdered his parents. This was the man that destroyed any sense of normalcy in his life. And now he was going to hurt the one person that kept him going, no matter how twisted his situation was.

It was in that moment that he made his decision. This was the last time that this filthy man was going to hurt his loved ones.

Because of his boisterous laughter, Tony Zucco didn't even notice that most of his henchmen were slumped on the ground already. It was only when he opened his eyes to catch his breath did he see how bad his situation was. He looked all around him and he was the only one standing in that alleyway.

Except of course, for the man he has been mocking for the last five minutes.

Robin suddenly appeared in front of the mob boss and held his neck in a vice-like grip. He lifted the man with just his arm; his feet dangling off the ground.

"Tony Zucco, this is going to be the last time you ever hurt anyone."

"Wait!" he shouted out in desperation. "Isn't this a little too much? I'll get you the shipment back, I promise! I can even get it for you tonight if you want."

"Can you bring my parents back?" Robin asked, his voice so low that it didn't even seem to belong to him anymore.

"W-what?"

"I said," his voice was so loud, he was almost screaming, "Can you bring my parents back? Can you bring the Flying Graysons back from the grave?!" He raised him higher from the ground now, showing off his strength.

"It c-can't be." he stammered in fear, "you're Grayson's son?"

A twisted smirk suddenly lit up on his lips. "And you will die knowing that."

He broke his neck with an audible *_crack_* and dropped his lifeless body to the ground.

Raven gasped within her mind, bearing witness to the whole thing. She felt everything he was feeling in the memory. The overwhelming hatred, the confusion in his decision, and the thrill he got from killing Tony Zucco, from extracting his revenge.

And she knew how it felt _so good_.

* * *

Her consciousness came back to the present just in time to see Speedy's bruised and battered body as compared to Robin's perfect physique. The archer's moves were sluggish and weak, probably because the effects of the drug that haven't worn off completely. Robin, on the other hand, had a mischievous smirk on his face, admiring the fact that he was easily winning against his opponent. Speedy threw a weak punch at him, which he simply dodged and gave one of his own attacks to his stomach. This instantly sent the redhead to the floor, clutching his midsection in pain.

Raven started to panic in her mind. If she didn't stop Robin soon, she might have to bury one of her closest friends. And she'd be damned if she ever let that happen.

"_Robin stop! You can't do this!" _ she screamed through their bond, thrashing in her restraints as she did.

"_Oh hello Raven. Nice of you to join us." _ he replied through his thoughts, not even sparing a look toward her as he knelt down to Speedy's broken form. He started punching his face, aiming to give the archer a hemorrhage.

"_Robin please, you can do what you want with me. Just don't kill him! Please!" _ she tried again, though she knew her attempts were in vain.

Robin didn't even acknowledge her this time. He just went on and continued beating Speedy to a pulp.

"_Richard, stop!" _ she pleaded, desperate for anything to work.

Robin instantly stopped when she used his real name. His whole body froze when he heard it; his arm in the air, ready to hit his poor victim. But the punch never came. His arm dropped to his side and he slowly stood up to face Raven, an unreadable expression etched on his face.

He gave one last kick to Speedy's side, making him unconscious. He then walked toward Raven ever so slowly, as if he was in deep thought. She just gazed upon him, not knowing what was going to happen next. When he finally came upon her, he took the handcuffs from her wrists, and slowly brought her up to her feet. She looked at him intently, trying to decipher what he was doing when he quickly ripped off the sticky material from her lips. Her face contorted into an expression of pain for only a moment, before she reined back her serious look. She couldn't go for her stoic face, not with everything that was happening. Not when Speedy was lying on the floor…

She tried to race toward the archer, to heal his wounds before any major damage could be inflicted, but before she could make a single step, Robin held her in her place.

"Not yet, my little bird. We still have some things to discuss before I leave." he whispered to her ear as he pressed a button on his belt and they were instantly transported on the roof of the Titans East tower. She gazed upon the endless night sky, watching the city lights from where they stood. The night breeze was all around them, softly caressing their bodies where they stood, almost in each other's arms.

Robin didn't let go of her arms, still holding her where she was. A soft smile played on his lips before he said, "It's been a long time since anyone called me Richard."

"It is your name, isn't it?" she replied playfully, momentarily forgetting the harm he just caused her friend.

But instead of feeling anger toward the man who was holding her, she only felt a desperate need to help him. She wanted to accomplish what Batman had set her out to do. She felt compelled to save him from the evils that were eating away at his soul. After seeing his memory with her own eyes, she could understand the pain that he experienced, the confusion, the fear, the hurt. But she completely forgot about the _pleasure _that he felt as well.

"Yes, it is my name. More so even now." His lips opened into a sincere smile, one that would take any girl's breath away, even Raven's.

She looked down from his angelic features before she continued with what she was going to say. "Listen Richard," she felt like using his real name. After all, it did prompt him to show some mercy toward Speedy. "you can forget about the Titans, forget about everything that happened. I saw what happened with Tony Zucco, and I.." her words faltered upon her lips, as she questioned if she was really doing the right thing, the one thing that could help them all. "I understand." She looked up to face him once again, trying to read his expression to see what he was thinking with her words.

His eyes were wide in surprise, still not fully taking in everything that she was saying. She took this as a good sign to continue. "I understand what you felt when you killed him. And I won't condemn you for it. Sure it was the wrong thing to do, but he was the one who killed your parents. It was your own revenge. I know how much your parents' deaths haunt you even until now. And at least you can have some closure with his death." She paused to take a breath, and to try to gauge the look on his face. He was starting to understand what she was trying to say as his face relaxed a little. But she wasn't through just yet.

"That's why you should put some closure to this chapter, too. You can move to another city, leave the Titans and start a new life there. If you want to do the whole vigilante thing, I'm sure you can still find a way. Look Richard, you can still run away from this whole mess. You can have a fresh start somewhere else. Just please, leave them alone. _Please." _ She practically begged at the end, desperate for him to end his vendetta with the Titans.

He let out a soft chuckle as he buried her into his arms, as if he was already giving his answer. "I'll admit, I like the whole idea of starting in a different city. I'll look into that, thanks." But his smile instantly faded with what he had to say next. "But Raven, you already know my answer to that question. I'll only leave them alone if you come with me. Despite all the things that you've seen me do, despite the fact that you watched me _almost _murder Speedy, you still have to come with me. If you want the Titans to be left in peace, then you'd have to give yourself to me."

Raven broke away from his grasp to look at his face. She gazed upon the man before him, seeing the darkness that was inside him now more than ever. But she couldn't help but have hope in her heart that he still had some good left inside of him. She had to believe that, or else the trust that Batman placed in her would be in vain. She couldn't give up on him, even with everything that she had witnessed. She had promised him that much. And she always kept her promises.

She placed her hand on his cheek, softly caressing the warm skin with her thumb. "I'm not giving up on you, Richard. I know there's still some good left in you."

He suddenly let out a boisterous laugh at what she said. She instantly pulled her hand back, surprised at his sudden reaction. Her face twisted in confusion; she was at a loss with what he was doing.

"Oh Raven, you have it all wrong." He said, shaking his head. "There is no good left in me, well except my mad, obsessive love for you. If you could call that good." Her expression didn't change one bit, and so he continued with his explanation.

"If you're looking for your leader, the hero, the Boy Wonder, then you should be calling out to Robin, though I doubt you'll find him. You see, Robin is my hero identity. He's the one who saves the day, he's the one who never gives up and still fights for what is right even if he's dying already. And I have been Robin for so long, almost all my life. But that run-in with Zucco reminded me of my human side, of being plain ol' Richard Grayson. Now he's just human, he's corruptible; he can fall into the darkness that surrounds him. And on that day, he finally did. He couldn't let the murderer of his parents walk free just because he was bound to some stupid hero morality. And so, I killed him. Me. Richard Grayson. Dick. The boy who watched his parents fall to their deaths. The man who's seeking revenge against his uncaring teammates. The man who's madly in love with you."

Raven simply stared at him, dumbfounded. She didn't expect that coming from him. And now she was at a loss. Who was this man in front of her? Where was Robin? Where was her righteous leader who fought against evil? The better question was: was he still there?

Before she could make sense of what he said, a giant helicopter suddenly came out of nowhere and flew right in front of the Tower. Gusts of wind blew through the roof, almost blowing her away, if it weren't for his strong arms that kept her in place.

"Well there's my ride. Have to get going now." He suddenly informed her, breaking her from her thoughts. He placed a hand underneath her chin before he whispered to her ear, "How about a little souvenir before I go?" Before she could give a reply, he placed a passionate kiss upon her lips. He was rough with his kisses, forcing her to respond to him. She had no choice but to kiss him back, even if her mind was still confused. He bit on her lower lip before finally letting her go. "Goodbye, little bird. 'Til we meet again." He had his lips in a contented grin as he dropped his arms, freeing her from his grasp. Her mouth was still slightly open, failing to catch up with everything that was happening. He let out a little chuckle, finding her cute with the current expression dancing on her face.

Just then, the doors opened wildly to reveal a very angry Cyborg, Starfire, and Bumblebee to the roof. They were finally free of their paralysis and were enraged by Speedy's current condition. And they knew right away who could have done such a thing to the archer.

Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon right at Richard. (2). "I'm giving you up to the count of ten to surrender quietly before I fire this thing at your face."

Richard only let out a chilling laugh, not even phased by the cybernetic teen's words. Paying him no mind, he bent down and whispered to Raven's ear. "And for your punishment…"

Before anyone knew what was going on, Richard punched her in the stomach, making her drop unconsciously to the floor. The other Titans were surprised to say the least at what he had done. Apparently, all his promises of love flew out the window with what they just saw.

Taking advantage of their shock, Richard made a few flips and jumped toward the helicopter. With almost impossible precision, he landed right inside it, ordering the pilot to take them away from the Tower as he cockily waved at the remaining Titans. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon while Starfire shot a few starbolts at the aircraft, but it easily dodged the attacks as it flew away to the horizon.

"Damnit! Get the T-ship ready! We're going to follow that damn bastard and I'm going to wipe that cocky grin off his face!" Cyborg shouted out, fuming with anger.

Bumblebee placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Look, I know you want to catch the guy, but none of us are in the right condition to chase after him. The effect of that paralyzing drug thing hasn't worn off completely, and both Raven and Speedy are down. We can't chase him, not like this." She gestured to Starfire, trying her best to pick up Raven from the ground, but with much difficulty since her arms were still numb from the drug.

Cyborg let out a sigh, finally seeing Bumblebee's point. Her lips curved into a smile, glad that he finally calmed down. They approached Raven together, moving to help the two girls. "Plus," Bumblebee added, "we don't have a T-ship."

* * *

When Raven finally came to, it was morning already. The sun shone brightly from the windows of the Titans East common room. She slowly got up from the sofa, still feeling sore from everything that had happened last night.

Her eyes opened in a panic as she stood up abruptly, wanting to check up on Speedy at once.

"Oh, hey Rae. Good thing you're awake-" Cyborg began greeting her when he realized that she was rushing off to exit the room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. You should take it easy. You just got attacked by Robin." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from going any further. The other Titans suddenly turned to her as well. They were all in the common room getting ready for breakfast when Raven suddenly woke up.

"But what about-"she interjected, but was cut off by a familiar voice from their giant TV, which suddenly opened.

"Speedy? Oh he's fine. He's recuperating in the med bay." Richard was suddenly staring at them through the TV screen, somehow controlling the transmission.

"What do you want Robin?" Cyborg replied coldly, as the other Titans stood at attention, watching the TV with burning determination in their eyes.

"Oh nothing, really. Just wanted to see if Raven was alright." He instantly focused his gaze on her, who still looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Anyway, since my little bird is so worried about our resident archer, why don't I show you how he is? In fact, why don't I show you what he was just doing last week?" Richard's playful voice was the last thing they saw before the screen shifted to Speedy. And all their jaws dropped at what they saw.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah. Another cliffhanger. I apologize! I was(am) actually running out of time that is why I ended it abruptly hihi. Anyway, I'm so sorry for the delay. I have only finished all my requirements for the semester now, so yay! But then summer classes are coming up soon. But I'm sure I will have more time for updates now than before. So yeah, just watch out for that.**

**Btw, the song "Run for your Life" by The Beatles really inspired me to write this chapter. Okay that is all, just sharing.**

**I think I only have a few chapters left for this story (*gasp* I know right?) so I hope you guys stick with me 'til the end! Still figuring out a few stuff, but yeah, things are coming down the wire :D**

**(1) Tony Zucco. I don't know what possessed me to use this character but yeah, oh well. :)) I based him off the cartoons since he looks different depending on the comic book. And this picture I found on google saying that if anyone would be cast for the role, it would be the same guy who played Tony Almeida in 24. (I'm sorry, but I'm never going to get over 24. Ever :)) )**

**(2) No, Robin is not schizophrenic. I just liked the idea that his Richard Grayson persona is always in the backseat. So why not switch it up a little? It also gives us a little more insight into his character, since everyone knows Robin to have solid morals and stuff like that. But then there is still his human side, Richard Grayson. So yeah. Plus it explains why he's so cocky with everyone. :)) But now I am at a loss if I should continue calling him Richard or Robin. What do you guys think?**

**Shameless**** plugging time! I've read this story : ****Master by kittykate17091997. ****And if you're in for those psychological apprentice stories, then you should check hers out! It's pretty interesting and it lives in the crossover section, under Teen Titans and Batman. So yeah if you're into those kinds of stories you can check out hers. :)**

******I might alternate updating this story and posting one-shots, just so I don't drown in the darkness of this story. I hope that's okay with you guys.. Or if its not then you could just tell me. Hihi :))**

******Thank you once again to: TheDreamChaser,Dakatmew (I wanted her to ask Speedy about the shirtless thing, but I couldn't squeeze it in with the intensity of the scenes. I'll try to put it in in the next chapter though!) acrobats they tumble, acrobats they tumble, Pizzachic , discb (Thank you! I did! :) ) AlwaysSmile3 (thank you that means a lot to me huhu you are too kind) Red X, Delta501 , jeyyflorez and thenightassassin.  
**

**I was honestly surprised that everyone was rooting for Robin even though he's pretty evil. I wonder if this chapter changes your views. Tee hee. Anyway, have a nice day everyone! And be happy! And leave a review if you are so inclined to do so :) I love you all! :D**

**AND I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS, OR RUN FOR YOUR LIFE BY THE BEATLES**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_"I've been watching your world from afar_  
_I've been trying to be where you are_  
_And I've been secretly falling apart_  
_Unseen_

_To me, you're strange and you're beautiful_  
_You'd be so perfect with me_  
_But you just can't see_  
_You turn every head but you don't see me_

_I'll put a spell on you_  
_You fall asleep_  
_And I put a spell on you_  
_And when I wake you I'll be the first thing you see_  
_And you'll realize that you love me"_

_- Aqualung, Strange Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell on You) _

* * *

The Titans were confused at first with what they were seeing. Robin was showing them a video of Speedy jumping from building to building in Starling City. As he finally landed in a deserted alley somewhere in the depressed area of the city- the Glades as they would call it- they were beginning to wonder why they were even watching this. There was nothing special in watching the red-headed archer performing acrobat like flips through town. That is, until they saw him come out of the alley in civilian clothes. He was wearing a red hoody, with jeans and sneakers at his feet. His ginger hair stood out from the bleak surroundings, while the others noticed his sky blue eyes, some of them had seen for the first time.

He walked out of the alley to meet a group of men huddled beside a local bank across the street. They seemed like shady people, all wearing black jackets, black pants and sneakers. It looked like they were carrying heavy equipment, hanging from their backs. Before Speedy could approach them, one man already shouted out, "Hey Harper, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, you guys know that I have a job in Steel City, right?" he replied in an aggravated tone.

"And what the fuck are you wearing?" another man from the group asked. "Here, we saved you one." He threw a black jacket, similar to what they were all wearing. He took off his red one and wore the one they had just given him. He zipped it up to the top, even until the hood. The others did the same, showing that their jackets had specialized holes for their eyes. The hoods served as their masks, concealing their identities for whatever they had planned for that day.

One of the men handed a gun to Speedy, which he caught with one hand. He cocked it and saw that it was loaded. They couldn't see the expression on his face, but his body language told them that he was hesitant with what they were about to do.

"Showtime." one of the men said, and in an instant, their whole group entered the bank. Shots were fired, screams of terror could be heard from outside. In ten minutes, the whole group came out with duffel bags filled with money. A black van pulled up in front of the bank and the whole group entered it. The van didn't have a plate on it, making it difficult to identify it or track it down. The van drove off out of the camera's view, leaving the Titans dumbfounded with what they saw. The screen went black shortly after that, bringing the whole common room into silence.

Beastboy was the first one to speak up. "Did you guys just see that?"

Bumblebee had her mouth wide open, not knowing what to say about her teammate's unspeakable behavior. "I don't get it. Why would he rob a bank? It's not like he needs money, right?"

"Yeah, isn't Green Arrow loaded or something?" Beastboy said, trying to process his shock through humor.

Cyborg had another way to deal with it though. "Whatever the reason, he helped rob a bank. He should be arrested."

"Wait Cyborg! Don't you think that's a little too harsh?" Aqualad said, desperation leaking through his voice for the first time.

"He is right, Friend Cyborg. We must clear this up with Friend Speedy." Starfire tried to appease her leader as best as she could, but she could feel that it was not working.

"Yeah, he might be doing some kind of undercover work or something." Bee added, holding on to Cyborg's arm to calm him down.

"Si! Si!" Mas y Menos exclaimed at the same time, as they placed their small bodies in front of the cybernetic teen's way, blocking him from leaving the common room.

Through all of this commotion, Raven wordlessly went through the doors and was about to exit the room, when Cyborg called out to her. "Hey Raven! Where are you going? We still have to talk about this!"

She turned back and sent a glare to everyone in the room. "You can argue all you want, but I'm going ask him directly what the heck is going on." She turned her back towards them, not one of them daring to speak after what she said.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Speedy teased, as Raven entered the med bay. She had an unreadable expression on her face as she stood beside the archer's bed. It was then that she realized that he _still _didn't have his shirt on, and that despite his body being covered in bruises, his arms were resting leisurely above his head, as if he was finding everything quite amusing.

She tried to fight back the urge to wipe off the clumsy grin off of his face.

"Why are you so calm?" she asked, irritation coloring her monotone.

"Because you're here." He said, gazing upon her amethyst eyes. Raven's breath caught in her throat at his intense stare, but she was able to push t he feeling down. "Lie down properly so I can heal your wounds. You're in deep trouble, you know that."

Speedy finally put his arms to the side and laid stiffly on the bed, giving in to her request. She placed her hands on his chest; they began emitting blue light as she passed over his wounds and broken bones. "What do you mean?" he finally replied.

"We know." She suddenly blurted out. "Robin showed us a video."

Speedy's heart froze in his chest at what she said. Was it true? Did they really know of his shameful secret, one that he was able to keep them in the dark for so long?

"Was that the reason that you always came to me with cuts and bruises?" Raven began once again, not paying attention to her hands that were healing his wounds. "Was that why you always came to me after you were hurt? So that your teammates, your friends, didn't know that you were out robbing banks with some thugs?" Her voice raised a little as she ended, showing the anger that she was feeling toward the archer.

She felt used at this point. It all began a year ago. Speedy would call her on her communicator and ask her to teleport to his room so that she could heal him. Sometimes, he would come to her with broken bones or bullet holes in various parts of his body. Other times, they seemed like minor scratches that would heal in a week's time. But still, he would call her up and ask for her help. These meetings brought them closer to one another, though Raven never dared to ask him where the wounds were coming from, or why they were even there in the first place, and why she had to go all the way to Steel City to heal them. She could sense that he was trying to hide something that was why she never asked questions, never pressed him to tell her what he was truly doing. Now, she was thinking that she should've done otherwise.

"No, Raven! It's not what you think! I-" before he could continue to desperately explain his side to her, the med bay doors opened to reveal Cyborg and Bumblebee.

"Harper, you've got some explaining to do." Cyborg said, his voice authoritative and firm. He stood at the foot of his bed, as Bumblebee stood next to him. She had a look of concern etched on her face, as Cyborg's eyes were alight in repressed anger. He looked like he would punch the archer any moment now, despite the fact that he was still recuperating from the wounds that Robin gave him.

Raven said nothing but continued to heal his wounds. But she spared a glance toward Speedy with a pleading look in her eyes, begging him for the truth that they were all seeking.

Speedy only gazed once to those eyes before letting out a heavy sigh. He felt like he would do anything for Raven, especially with that look that she was giving him.

"Yes, I did help the gang commit those crimes, rob the banks and what not…" he avoided Cyborg's eyes, as if they were the intense, bright light that interrogation rooms had.

"Crimes? Banks? You mean there's more than one?!" Cyborg's booming voice was enraged as he heard the words tumble out of Speedy's mouth. This time, Bumblebee had to restrain him from hurting the wounded archer.

"It's not like I wanted to do it! I had no choice! It was either that or she could get hurt again!" he blurted out, his emotions finally coming through his cool façade.

"She?" Both Bumblebee and Cyborg stopped struggling when they heard his words, repeating in unison the one word that grabbed their attention.

He instantly regretted saying that, clamping his hand over his mouth. He knew he had said too much from the reaction that the Titans' leaders were giving him. He wanted to keep that part of his life a secret, but with everything that was happening; he had doubts that that would still be possible.

"It doesn't matter." He said sullenly. "Look, the situation in the Glades is horrible. Before, the gangs stayed out of each other's way, handling their own business, illegal or not. But then this new authority came to our streets, and pretty soon gang wars erupted, with every gang fighting for control. Each gang was trying to outsmart the other, hence all the robberies. They all wanted to become the most powerful one, to rule over the Glades and chase the newcomers out of our streets. My gang was the only one left that was standing against this powerful criminal organization. But we can barely compete against them; they're pretty powerful for an organized crime unit. That was why we keep on stealing, breaking into gun stores and yeah, you know the rest."

"How did you even get into this mess?" Bee asked exasperatedly, as she placed her head in her hand.

"They actually harassed me into it. They knew I was good fighting and all that jazz. They threatened me… and I had no choice but to do what they asked." He replied unsurely, as if he was hiding something important from them. But the only one who seemed to notice was Raven. Bumblebee and Cyborg were oblivious in his actions to withhold valuable information from them.

"I still don't get it. You can beat them up if you wanted to. Plus if you were in trouble, you could've easily called us for back up. You didn't have to be harassed into doing something you didn't want. So why'd you still do it?" Bumblebee asked once again, trying her best to understand the archer's situation.

"Because it wasn't my life that was in danger." Was all he said in reply.

Bumblebee and Cyborg were still confused as to what he meant, but Raven was starting to understand his reasons for doing what he did. Despite the fact that he has probably committed countless of crimes, she knew that he was not at fault for everything that he had done. And she was determined to find a way to clear his name. She couldn't bear to see someone close to her once again fall to the darkness. Never again.

"Organized crime?" she suddenly said, breaking through the silence that had fallen around them. She turned toward Cyborg and Bumblebee. "Do… do you think that organization has something to do with Robin?"

"What makes you say that?" Cyborg replied, unsure of what Raven was trying to say.

"Think about it. Robin has been calling himself 'the _master.' _ I bet that means that he's the master of _something. _And if he's powerful enough for a dangerous villain like Deadshot to follow, then that means he must be pretty powerful." She explained, trying to get them all to understand how treacherous Robin really was. At this point, she was the only one who had the faintest idea as to how powerful he had become. But even with that knowledge, she only scratched the surface of his true power.

"Yeah, and he did have the video on him. He definitely has some connection to the gangs in Starling City. And we have to find out what that is. We have to know Sparky, before he goes out and suddenly annihilate all of us." Bumblebee added, knowing what Raven had in mind.

Cyborg also knew what they were saying, and his brows furrowed as he tried to take their argument into consideration. After a few moments of musing, he finally let out a defeated sigh and gave in to their request.

"Fine. We can probably use his connections for information." He turned toward Speedy and gave him a serious look. "Listen, Roy. We know you've got yourself tangled with these thugs, but we're giving you one chance to redeem yourself. We'll let your involvement in these crimes pass, but after this mission, you're gonna quit and we'll figure out how to fix your mess _together. _So, are you in or what?"

Speedy avoided their gaze for a moment, taking his time in considering their offer. He knew that know the truth had been revealed to them, there was no easy way out of this. He was worried for _her _safety, but with everything that has happened, he has no choice but to do whatever they said. He knew that he had committed countless of crimes, and receiving their mercy was truly a miracle in its own right. It was finally time to let them in into his bleak reality. Unlike everyone else in the Tower, he was actually a normal guy behind the mask. And he faced the horrors that a normal person would face, especially in the Glades.

"What do I have to do?" he finally said, a burning determination in his eyes.

* * *

A week after that fateful day, Speedy found himself entering the alley behind the diner known as the Big Belly Burger. (1) He was in his hometown, the Glades, the depressed area of Starling City. He let out a sigh, thankful that Oliver Queen found was able to bring him out of this place and gave him a better life. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, the Glades always found a way to catch up with him.

He met up with a bunch of guys, the same ones that he robbed the bank with. They wore oversized jackets, large caps and gold chains hung around their necks. Some of them were just wearing plain shirts underneath their giant hoodies, showing off their toned muscles underneath. It was fairly obvious that these were not the type of guys that anyone would mess with. Unless, of course, if they were the _master._

"Hey, Harper. Glad that you could join us." One of the men said, calling out to the red-headed archer. He came closer to them, trying to listen to their next plan.

"Okay, so we have to get more firepower. Word on the street is that the organization is planning to attack us soon. So we have to get ready for them when they come. We are the only gang stopping them from taking over the Glades. And we have to stop them, or die trying." The leader of the gang announced, trying to get his members inspired with his speech.

It was then that Speedy decided to speak. "Maybe we're taking this the wrong way. We need to find out more about this organization before we can even begin to think of defeating it." He clearly knew that they had no chance of winning against it, especially if Robin was the leader, but he still needed to put up an act, at least until he had the information that they had. He needed to know what they knew. "Do we even know what we're up against?"

"That's the thing." The leader replied, with much worry in his tone. "No one knows anything about it. They just came out of nowhere and started taking over the city. They have the best weapons, military grade guns, helicopters and airplanes, the works. And all we know is that they're lead by this guy called the master."

"The…master…?" Speedy repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah. No one knows where he came from, he just suddenly appeared into the scene as this all powerful dude. And now he's conquering all the cities one by one, but we can't let him win here. Not in the Glades." The gang cheered their leader on, inspired by his words. After their claps and cheers subsided, their leader began to tell them about their next job. This was the opportunity Speedy decided to take, realizing that he got all the information that they could give him.

"Oh yeah by the way, I can't uh… help you guys out anymore." he squinted his eyes, knowing that they wouldn't take that announcement lightly. Especially since the only reason that they had come this far was because of him. "My work in Steel City is gonna keep me there so yeah... sorry." He knew that he wasn't coming off as intimidating as he wanted to be, but he didn't want to completely piss them off, especially since he knew what they were capable of.

"But Harper! You know we can't do this without you!" the leader beseeched to him, knowing that their chances were slim without the red-headed archer. "Remember what happens when you don't cooperate." He added in a darker tone.

"I'm sorry guys. I really can't help you anymore." Was all Speedy could say.

"Fine. If you don't want to come nicely, then I guess we'd have to force you." As if on cue, the other members of the gang surrounded Speedy, cracking their knuckles and getting ready for a big fight. He gulped nervously, knowing that it would be hard for him to win this battle. Even with all his skills, he was still outnumbered eight to one. He wasn't sure if he could win this fight.

Just then, a black raven rose from the ground, hovering over the archer. "Step away from this man." Her cold, emotionless voice said.

"Oh yeah, and who are you to tell us what to do?" the leader shouted out.

"Your worst nightmare." And with that, Raven revealed her four demonic eyes toward the hapless gang members. They instantly cowered upon the sight and ran out of the alley in fear. The last one even fell to the ground as he desperately tried to get away from the menacing darkness.

When all of the gang members had left, Speedy heard a voice coming through his hidden earpiece. "Good work, Roy." Cyborg said.

"You got that Tin man?" he replied.

"Yup. Now we're certain that Robin is the one trying to conquer the Glades. God, this guy is really scarier than we thought. Come back to the Tower and we'll discuss our next options." Cyborg ordered, finally beginning to realize what they were up against.

"Yeah we'll come in once we're done here." Speedy replied, cutting off the feed from his earpiece.

At that moment, Raven landed quietly behind him. She simply stood there until he broke the silence.

"Your entrances always scare the crap out of me." Speedy muttered once his "friends" were gone.

"I'm supposed to look intimidating. That's why I'm the one they asked to go with you in this mission." She replied with an amused smirk on her lips.

"Oh, really? I thought it was just because you wanted to spend more time with me." He teased, raising his eyebrows playfully at her.

Raven simply stared at him with a blank expression on her face. Though she knew he deserved more than a deadpan reaction from her, she didn't want to get him into more trouble, especially with what Robin had done to him. And she knew she could ensure his safety by giving him the cold shoulder, even if she didn't want to.

The archer could sense her uneasiness, and no matter how much he despised it, he completely understood where Raven was coming from. Even he didn't want to go through _that _again. Plus, he knew that he still had some business to take care of, something too personal that he hasn't been able to share with anyone in the Titans. Something that he knew he had to take care on his own.

"Anyway Raven, I have…some… other things to do before we go back to the Tower. I'll just call you on your communicator if I'm ready to go. Is that alright?" he said, once again breaking the silence.

"Where are you going?" she asked, worry clear in her monotone.

"Somewhere personal." He wished he could tell her more, especially with all the help that Raven has been giving him. But he knew that there just some things he couldn't share with her. Not yet, at least.

She knew better than to press the subject, so she simply gave him a small nod. He replied with a beaming smile, one that was eternally grateful that she respected his privacy that much, to allow him to go into the city alone, even after everything that has been happening these past few days.

Raven watched him run out of the alley, as if he was very excited for something. She couldn't help but smile on the inside at the archer's innocent ways. Even though he always left her in the dark, she respected him enough not to pry into his business. Though she lost count of the times that he came in her room, asking her to heal him of wounds that she was sure he didn't get from saving the city. It was, she believed, their own secret, their own connection. Which eventually brought all of the complications when Robin came into the picture.

Suddenly, two strong arms snaked around her waist as a voice whispered in her ear, "Boo."

'_Speak of the devil.' _ She muttered to herself. She pried herself from his grasp, instantly recognizing his voice. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face to me." She spat out.

"Whoa. Why are you extra grumpy today?" Robin said in a surprise, his arms raised up in his defense.

Raven took this time to notice that he wasn't in his usual black suit and belt. He was wearing a grey hoody with jeans and red sneakers on his feet. His cerulean eyes were looking into her own orbs, and she was shocked to say the least to be seeing him without his mask. But her shock was instantly replaced by the anger that she felt just moments ago.

"You punched me in the gut! I was out till the next day! You do know how dangerous that attack was, right? I could've been seriously injured!" (2)

"That was for your protection, Rae! If I didn't do that, the Titans would've thought that you were my accomplice or something."

"Oh yeah, it's as if they don't have enough reason to hate me already."

"Huh, they already hate you?" _And I haven't even revealed my plans to them yet. _He thought with a smirk.

"Not outwardly. But I'm an empath, I know how they really feel."

"See? This is exactly why you should come with me. I'll take care of you, Raven. I promise I'll never let anyone hurt you." He started drawing closer to her.

"Oh I don't know, except maybe you? Get away from me!" she shouted out, stepping away from him.

He let out a defeated sigh before pleading desperately to her. "Look, I'm terribly sorry for what I did; I know I shouldn't have been that harsh to you. But I promise I only did it to protect you." He started approaching her again, this time more careful than before. "Can I at least try to make it up to you?"

"How?" she asked, still in a cold, steely voice, but Robin could hear it finally softening up to him.

In a blink of an eye, he was right beside Raven, his body pressed closely to her own. He snaked her arm behind her back and before she knew it, she was standing on a rooftop of the depressed area of the city.

"Richard, where are we?" she asked harshly as she pushed him away from her.

"We're in the Glades." He replied trying to be as gentle as he could with his voice.

"What are we doing here?" her patience was wearing thin. Dark magic was starting to encircle her hands. If Robin didn't talk fast, she would send him to another dimension. She was still infuriated with what he did to her and she didn't appreciate being kidnapped to be brought to a random rooftop.

"Look closely." he said, pointing out to a small house right next to the building they were standing on.

She did and her eyes widened at the scene before her. She saw a very familiar redhead, wearing his signature red hoody, hunched over a beautiful little girl with blonde hair. The girl didn't seem any older than four years old, and her bright blue eyes were so full of innocence and joy at the man in front of her. Behind them stood an aged woman, about fifty years old, with dirty blonde hair; her face was weary and tired, but it lit up with the people around her.

"Lian..." Raven trailed off, her voice showing her disbelief.

"You know her?" It was Robin's turn to ask her in shock.

"I-I healed her once." She said unsurely, as memories began flooding through her eyes. "It was just last year. Speedy called me on my communicator asking for help. I teleported here right away, without even knowing why he needed me. And that was when I saw her."

She swallowed unconsciously, her eyes expressing the horror she felt as she recalled the last time she saw the innocent little girl. "He was cradling her in his big arms. She was so… weak, bloody, bruised, bleeding. Roy was begging me to do something. To heal her before it was too late. I was too shocked to say anything but I did what he asked me to. I stayed there overnight, making sure that she would live. And by morning, her eyes opened as if nothing happened. She just gave Roy a big hug, saying that she missed him."

"How did it happen?" Robin asked with genuine worry in his tone, as he placed his arm around her shoulder. He couldn't bear to see his beautiful Raven hurt in that way. He pulled her closer to his warm chest, thankful that she hasn't pushed him away yet.

"Bombing in their home. She was alone when it happened. I think his gang started harassing him when he didn't want to participate in their gang wars. But they couldn't do anything to him because he was in Steel City. So they attacked his family. Maybe that's why Speedy started working for the gangs here. He did it so that he could protect his daughter, so that they'd leave her alone even when he was doing his Titan duties."

They shared a comfortable silence as they watched Lian excitedly drag her father into their house. The older woman followed soon after, closing the door as she entered. They could hear peals of laughter coming from the small house, and they both knew that Roy Harper was finally home.

And just like that, the comfort that they shared instantly disappeared. Raven was suddenly aware of what was happening, of how she was in the arms of Robin-_again. _She heaved a sigh, wondering why she even allowed herself to be in this situation. But the horror of the truth only left her wide-eyed, her heart racing in her chest. Only then did she realize that she was slowly falling into his charms, and it would only be a matter of time before she would finally be his.

"W-why are you showing me this?" she managed to blurt out, as she pried his shoulder off of her.

"To show you the realities that ordinary people like me and Speedy have to face. We get harassed by people like them, forced to do things we don't want to. Just to keep our loved ones safe. Just to survive. But I found a way to overcome this. I couldn't allow myself to just be helpless anymore and let the wicked ways of the world control me. Not when I had the choice to fight. Not when... they could hurt the people closest to me." He was facing her now, his crystal blue eyes boring into her amethyst ones.

"I still don't understand-" she cut herself before she could even finish that thought. She realized now what he was saying. "Are you telling me that the reason you arranged this whole 'master' business was in self-defense? It was so you could protect me?" her voice raised a few notches, plainly showing her irritation.

"I was Slade's apprentice, Raven." he spat out. "I had only two choices in that life: it was either kill or be killed. I was faced with the kind of darkness that you had never seen. There was no way out. There was no room for a hero there, only men who would do anything to survive. So I had to let go of the Robin persona that I held on to for so long. I had to be the man that I needed to be. I had to be Dick Grayson. And the only thing he- I could do to survive, to truly get out of that situation, was to control the darkness. Instead of being sucked in, I became stronger; I used the darkness to my advantage. And pretty soon, I was the one in control. I found a way to gain power, and before long, I had overcome the darkness. I was ruling it." His voice was filled with a deep-rooted pride that Raven had to take a step back, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden upsurge in his emotions.

"I had to do it." he began once again, in a softer tone now, "to become stronger than I already was. You know more than anyone how important that is to me, right? So that I can protect you better. And by controlling the darkness that surrounds us, I can be the strongest there is and ensure your safety. Nothing is darker than the heart of man, Raven."

For once, she had no idea what to say. She didn't know what to make of Robin's strange confession. With all honesty, she felt a bit guilty for being part of the reason as to how he ended up as the "master." When he talked about controlling the darkness, she wondered just how powerful he really was. It frightened her, but at the same time intrigued her. She was, after all, part demon. She could see it in his dark blue eyes, the blackness of his heart, and the darkness of his soul.

"I'm only doing what Speedy is doing. Risking everything just to protect the people that he loves." He placed his warm arms around Raven, bringing her petite frame into his embrace. "You wouldn't fault me for doing that, would you?"

"So you're just telling me this to get on my good side?" she managed to blurt out. She tried to squirm in his grasp, trying to break free, but to no avail.

"I'm trying to make you understand, Raven." he replied with a sigh. "Out of all of the Titans, you would know best about the existence of gray areas, of controlling the darkness that lives inside all of us."

"I don't embrace my darkness, Richard. I repress it. There is a difference. If I didn't do that, then the whole world would just be fire and brimstone." She broke free of his grasp to stare right into his blue eyes.

"But there is a better way than just repressing it. You have to overcome your darkness, control it instead of letting it control you. Dictate your wishes instead of allowing it to dictate your life. We will never win if we just keep on fighting the darkness that is very much a part of our souls. We have to conquer it, make it work for us, so that we will reap the best reward."

"Which is...?"

"Power, beyond your wildest dreams. And a life with each other."

"Wha...?" she tried to ask, but she was stopped by Robin's finger over her mouth.

"Raven, I am giving you a choice. Come with me, and I will lead you into a life of power and wealth; you will be a Queen in your own right. You will be _my _Queen. And you won't ever have to worry about your demonic side letting lose ever again. But if you stay with the Titans, you will be faced with defeat, and well, you'll just be like Speedy, a victim in this dark and treacherous world."

She looked down to the ground, not even wanting to look at the man before her, a man she could barely recognize. She couldn't understand what he was doing, or why he was doing it. Why was he telling her everything? Why was he giving away the secrets of his soul? Was this his way of controlling her?

"Don't think that just because you showed me Speedy's secret that I've forgiven you." She suddenly said, still keeping her eyes glued to the ground. "Just because you shared your secrets to me doesn't mean I'll suddenly follow you to the ends of the Earth. I'm still a Titan, Richard. And you're asking me to forget the ideals and the morals that I've fought so hard to uphold for the past five years. Morals and ideas that _you _taught me yourself." Her eyes were suddenly alight with a burning rage, igniting the dying embers of her own anger. "Forgive me if I can't come running into the arms of a murderer and a _master_."

"Raven," his tone was low, unlike his usual voice, somehow masking the desperation that was leaking into it, "if you even care for me even just a fraction of how much I care for you-"

"A fraction? Oh please!" she suddenly exclaimed, cutting him off from his speech. Her tone was acidic, clearly speaking of her frustration which was strangely directed at herself. "I shouldn't even be considering your crazy proposition! And yet here I am, letting my heart make decisions for my mind. If you don't call that love, I don't know what is."

His eyes widened at her emotional admittance (well, emotional for Raven's standards). Did she just admit that she did have feelings for him? Despite of everything that he did before her eyes, despite his admission of the darkness and how it surrounded his heart, she still loved him. He wasn't sure how it happened, but frankly he didn't care. All he knew was that she loved him enough to consider his proposition, even if he was eons away from who he was before. He vowed to do everything in his power to win her over and finally make her his. No matter what the cost.

"Well I'm not as bad as you think, once you get to know me." He suddenly teased, his tantalizing blue eyes glistening in mischief. "In fact, didn't you say you were still mad at me for punching you? Why don't I make it up to you, then?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, knowing that he was planning something else behind this sudden idea. She couldn't help but be on guard whenever she was with him, but allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, she replied, "What are you thinking, Richard?"

"How about I get rid of this gang threat in Roy's area? So that he doesn't have to do dirty gang work during his off-hours as a Titan, and of course, so that little Lian will be safe." His lips curved into a mischievous smile as he took out a cell phone and started keying a number on it.

Raven had to admit, she liked the idea that Robin was giving her. After healing Roy and his family countless of times, she wanted nothing more for the archer than peace and safety for his family. And if it was going to take trusting a crazed _master _of evil to do it, then it was probably worth the price.

"Just don't kill them." She pleaded, just above a whisper, finally conceding to his idea.

Robin let out a sigh as he placed the phone near his ear. "Fine." He spat out, obviously inconvenienced at her request. "You're lucky I love you." He muttered under his breath as he started talking to someone on the phone. Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile at what he said, finding him just a little cute when he blurted those words out.

"Yes hello, recruit this gang in Sector 3 of the Glades, Starling City.- Yes, I'm serious.- No you can't kill them.- Just make sure they stay as far away from the Glades as possible.- I know, I know it'd be easier if we could kill them but- Yeah, yeah just do it." And with that, he ended his phone call, with a slightly irritated expression on his face as he turned toward Raven.

"There. Now little Lian and her grandmother are safe. You're welcome, by the way. Can I get a little kiss for my heroic efforts?" he teased once again, his eyebrows rising suggestively.

Raven just shook her head, a playful smile dancing on her lips before she said, "Your efforts consisted of a single phone call. I wouldn't call that _heroic _at all." Before she knew it, she was teasing him back. And she mentally berated herself for that.

"Fine, fine. That's what I get for arguing with a superhero on the definition of heroic efforts." He chuckled and they both felt comfortable around each other, for the first time since his sudden return. But this comfort was quickly shattered when he added, "Though if it isn't too much to ask, I was hoping if you could… not flirt with Speedy first..?"

"I do not flirt with Roy!" she spat out defensively. "I saved his butt a couple of times, even his daughter. Of course we'd become close."

Robin simply shook his head. "That's not what I meant and you know it. He has feelings for you, Raven! Why do you think I had to beat him up like that? It was to tell him to stay away from you. Unfortunately, I don't think he can take a hint."

"You are overreacting. We are just friends. That's all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing less." she said, pointing a finger at his chest.

"He touches himself while thinking of you! I've seen it so many times already!"

"He what?" Raven said, exasperated at the sudden turn of their conversation. Suddenly, his face turned into a shade of bright pink, realizing what he had just said to the empath.

"Uhh.. I mean… he does that thing…that M-thing… while thinking of you." He replied unsurely, realizing how awkward the situation was, even though they were both adults at this point.

"Meditation? Yeah, I taught him that to calm his nerves down and to give him a better perspective in his life. Of course he'd think of me while doing that." She replied, oblivious to what Robin was trying to tell her. (3)

"No!" he exclaimed, surprised at her naiveté. He then sighed and just gave up on the explanation; he forgot that she was raised by monks, after all. "You know, that thing that guys do… uh forget it. Just…just stay away from him, okay?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why he was acting oddly. She then gave a half-hearted shrug before saying "You know, for an evil master, you make the least sense."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." _I'm going to give you a proper education, Raven. Once you become mine. _He thought to himself in a strange mixture of mischief and resignation.

Just then, Raven's communicator rang, disrupting the silence that came upon them. She took it out and flipped the lid, saying a quick "Yeah, I'm on my way." to Speedy's face on the screen before she shut the small device, not even giving the archer a chance to speak.

"Well Richard, it seems I have to…" just when she looked up from her communicator, she realized that she was all alone in the rooftop, without a sign of Robin anywhere.

She heaved a sigh, slightly irritated by his disappearing act before she finally teleported to Speedy's side to take them both back to the Tower.

Unbeknownst to her, Robin was watching her from a nearby rooftop. She had no idea how much her admission meant to him. It only ignited his burning desire to have her, to claim her as his own. Now, he was desperate to have her by his side, which meant that he was ready to unleash his devious plan upon the Titans. And he was sure, that they wouldn't be the same when he was finally done with them.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry, I know I took so long :( I actually really worked hard on this chapter, and I hope everything played out well. I researched on Roy Harper (who is Speedy, by the way. And Oliver Queen is Green Arrow) to get that parallelism going with him and Robin. I'm not really sure if it worked but I did my best, and hopefully it somehow came across. **

**Oh and if you guys are confused about the whole Robin/Richard thing, try to read His Mask by raeandrob4eva. It's a kind of old one shot that shows how Robin and Richard Grayson are different from one another. There are a couple of other one-shots and stories that revolve around that theme but that's the only one I can remember now so yeah. Or you can always message me. That works too :)**

**(1) : Mehehehe I suppose you didn't see that coming. I'm basing this from Roy Harper from the TV show Arrow. Plus it shows us how powerful Robin has become. And next chapter will reveal that more :) The diner is also from the TV show. If you are confused about anything, just PM me and I will be happy to answer any of your questions :)**

**(2) : Guest, this is from you! I didn't know that that is what happens when you punch someone in the gut, but yeah thanks for telling me! It gave a different flavor to their relationship at the start.**

**(3) : I do not own this joke. This is from Marv Wolfman, from Brave and the Bold #18, Supergirl and Raven. It's a really nice issue, and I got the joke from there. You can actually google the image if you want to see it. I can send it to you guys too if you'd like :)**

**So there, I hope you liked this chapter! I am so sorry for its length and tardiness, but yeah hope it was worth the wait! And please do review if you feel so inclined to, because you guys actually help me think of twists for the story, so big pat on the back for you guys! And I hope you are all having wonderful days wherever you are! I love you all! :D **

**I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR AQUALUNG OR NUMBER 1 ZERO.**

**Thank you to:**

**Dakatmew : ****Sorry it took so long! Hope you still enjoyed it!**

**electrickpanda: ****No I don't think there's anything wrong with that! Evil people have their charm. Hihi. I hope Robin's explanation somewhat appeased you! :))  
**

**acrobats they tumble : **** I actually didn't mean to, but there was a lot of Rob/Rae interaction in this chapter. (Not sure if you can call it fluff) but yeah still hope you liked it and thank you for reviewing! :)**

**ahsokalo : Thank you for your review! And yes I have read your fics! Have I not favorited them yet? Let me fix that! :)**

**Guest : I wish I could thank you properly, but yeah thank you for that information! It added a little scene between Robin and Raven which I never would have figured out if you hadn't told me so thank you! :)**

**TheDreamChaser : Yeah, the Titans aren't really helping anyone with their attitude. :| Actually, it was your review that challenged me to think of something else for Speedy. It was originally the drug thing, but yeah since you probably expected that, I went for something else. Hope that you enjoyed that little twist! **

**thenightassassin : Thank you for the review! Sorry if it took awhile. Still hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**jeyyflorez: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter too! **

**AnimeFreak3: They'll get to that point... but I'm not really good with writing that kind of action, so I may leave that to you guys! Hihi. : Oh and I kept calling him Robin, just like you said! You're right, it's actually better that way so thanks! **

**Delta501**: **Well Raven isn't supporting him in that, it's just that she understands him and won't call the police or the Titans or the Justice League on him despite all the murders that he's done. So yeah hope that clears that up. And I don't really want him to be like Joker, just more of like the Count of Monte Cristo, or something like that :))**

**MonkeyFish: Your comment also made me change my mind on Speedy's secret! So yeah thank you for that! :) Because of your comment, I had to get creative and remember Arrow so yeah thanks! And I don't think he's more like Two-Face. It's not like a split personality but more of like an alter-ego... I hope that makes more sense. **

**So yeah that's it for me! And I hope that you guys are having a better day than me! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_"So break me shake me hate me  
Take me over  
When the madness stops then you  
Will be alone  
Just break me shake me hate me  
Take me over  
When the madness stops then you  
Will be alone_

_So you're the kind that deals with the_  
_Games in the mind_  
_Well you confuse me in a way that_  
_I've never known_  
_You confuse me in a way that I've_  
_Never known_

_She says, " I can help you, but what  
Do you say?"  
Cause it's not free baby, you'll have  
To pay  
You just keep me contemplating, that  
Your soul is slowly fading _

_Break me shake me hate me  
Take me over  
When the madness stops then you  
Will be alone  
So won't you break me shake me  
Hate me take me over  
When the madness stops then you  
Will be alone"_

_- Savage Garden, Break Me, Shake Me_

* * *

Speedy and Raven suddenly appeared in the common room in a swirl of dark energy. Cyborg and Bumblebee were already waiting for them impatiently, irritation clearly etched on their faces. Thinking that they were the cause of their leaders' frustrated expressions, their bodies tensed instantly, fearing what was to happen next.

"What took you so long?" Cyborg barked out. "We have a lot of things to discuss."

"Sorry. I just had to deal with some personal stuff." Speedy replied sheepishly.

"But I suppose you've already received the information we know, which really isn't much." Raven said, defending the archer in her own way.

"You're right. We need to know more about what Robin is planning before he does something big." Cyborg replied, his expression softening into a deep musing.

"Or before _we _do something to _him._" Bumblebee added, paving the way for tension to cut across the room. Cyborg's eyes suddenly became livid, anger flaring in his human eye. Bumblebee glared back at him, showing how irritated she was at her boyfriend.

Speedy and Raven felt awkward, as if they were in the midst of a private fight between the couple. As the two Titan leaders were glaring daggers at each other, Raven felt that they had to get out of the scene as fast as they could, before things got ugly for all of them. She cleared her throat, bringing the silently arguing couple's attention to the other individuals in the room.

"So… we should probably get to work on researching… right?" Raven suggested, trying to appease Bumblebee and Cyborg.

"Yeah, you're right." Cyborg suddenly said, closing his eyes for a moment to try and calm himself down. "Bumblebee and I will try to contact the League to see if they have any information on this. Speedy, you're on standby. We might need you to go back and find out what else Robin is doing in the Glades. And Raven, check out the police reports in Jump and in Starling City. We might find more information through those."

They noticed the sudden surge of confidence in his tone; they knew that he instantly felt better once he regained his status as the head. Everyone knew that he loved being the leader of the Titans, though admittedly Robin was still better than him; which was why Raven had to work doubly hard as second-in-command. She was the one who did the research for most of their cases, in between her relentless search for Robin. But honestly, she didn't mind. Cyborg was still her big brother after all. And she wanted to help him in any way she could. But she also knew that there was something wrong with Cyborg's pride as the leader. And that flaw was starting to unravel before their very eyes.

Despite that, Speedy and Raven simply nodded their heads and stepped out of the common room, leaving the two Titan leaders to settle things between themselves.

For the following days, Raven had been drowning herself in research, studying countless of police reports and news articles from different cities, trying to find a pattern in these occurrences. She was reminded of the days when she was still blindly searching for Robin's whereabouts. Once again, she found herself looking at the trail of breadcrumbs he had left for her; in the clues that he seemingly left behind. Soon enough, she finally pieced together the mystery of his power, of the true reach of Robin's authority as the _master. _And her eyes widened in shock at what she found.

* * *

"Sir, someone is getting too close to accessing your files once again." Wintergreen said, looking up at the warning that the computer was flashing before them.

Robin walked toward Slade's former assistant and started typing on the keyboard, finding out who was trying to find out what he was up to.

And his lips only curved into a sly smile when he saw the IP address of the latest _admirer _of his work. He pushed a few keys and a small window popped up, showing one of the surveillance video feeds inside Titans tower. He once again tapped into Titans East's security system during his last visit to their building, this time without them noticing.

He grinned from ear-to-ear when he saw his beloved empath, seated in their research room, looking through the reports that would lead her directly to him. And he couldn't be more proud.

"Don't worry Wintergreen." Robin said calmly, "it's just the _mistress _finding me once again, just like last time."

"But sir, last time, it did not turn out pleasantly for you, didn't it?" Wintergreen replied, worry coloring his tone.

"Sadly, no, it didn't." Robin's smile disappeared when he was reminded of what happened the last time Raven had gotten close to him. He was proud that he had trained her well enough to investigate and to find him through various reports and news articles. It was one of the traits that made him love her even more. Her intellect could match his, making them share the same wavelength of thought with each other. Unfortunately, someone did not appreciate Raven's intelligence and skill. But that didn't matter anymore; Robin already took care of that problem.

* * *

_A year had been a long time for the Boy Wonder to disappear. A year was too long a time for him to disappear without a trace. A year seemed like an eternity for Raven of looking through police reports and newspaper clippings, trying to find any sign of Robin or his whereabouts. But still, she did not deter from her endless search to find her leader, her best friend, the one person she cared so much about. She did have her suspicions, especially when there were reports of a masked man with a black jumpsuit committing robberies and even murders across different states all over the country. They stated that the perpetrator had a special kind of agility and skill, making it close to impossible for local law enforcement to catch him. Superheroes have tried, but they barely got a glimpse of the perpetrator before he disappeared completely, leaving a dead body or an empty safe for them to find. And he left virtually nothing in the scene, not even a signature or a fingerprint. _

_Though it seemed farfetched for Raven, she couldn't shake the feeling that Robin was behind these crimes. He was one of the few people in the world who could commit crimes like that. Heck, even Red X wasn't as clean with his work as he was, and he was already considered one of the best thieves out there. _

_But she couldn't tell the others until she was certain that this was really Robin's work, or else they would think of her as crazy again. Just like last time. So she continued to look through the reports and the articles, as if it led her one step closer to Robin. As if it was her only way to get closer to him._

_Unbeknownst to her, Robin was watching her through the surveillance cameras, his heart swelling in pride at her detective skills. With all the illegal activities that he had been doing, with all the crimes that he had committed all across the country, he couldn't believe that it was only Raven who had actually figured it out. But of course, she didn't have any proof, just like he had planned. _

_It was their own contingency measure that if ever anyone connected him to the dirty work that Slade made him do, they wouldn't find evidence to link it to him. He let out a sigh, remembering everything that he had done- and still had to do- for his arch nemesis. Tony Zucco's murder was only the first of the lives that he had to take. And with each crime he had done, he could feel himself slowly lose his grip with his morality. The line between good and evil seemed to get more blurred as time passed. Now, the only thing that mattered to him was survival. The only difference people had in his eyes was if they were dead or alive. _

_He hated the fact that it had been a full year since Slade took him and made him his apprentice. And though Raven wanted to save him, his unwilling, ungrateful team mates did not, leaving her to continue her search on her own. Which was why the computer was flagging the IP address of Titans Tower. Another contingency measure they had was a specialized system that tracked down those who were searching information on Robin's crimes. When anyone got too close, the system would instantly flag the IP address on their server and in Slade's own words, "They were to be dealt with accordingly." _

_Which was why Robin was now in a state of panic. If Slade found out that Raven was one step closer in locating him, who knows what kind of torture Slade had in store for her. He knew he couldn't let that happen, not to Raven, not to the one person who hasn't given up on him yet. Not to the person who kept him going no matter how stained his hands were. Not to the only reason he still fought so hard to survive. _

_So he did the only thing he knew he could do: he erased the data from the system. With a few, quick taps on the keyboard, he erased the flagged IP address, leaving Raven's discovery unnoticed by the system. Now all he could hope for was that Slade didn't see the alert before he got to erase it. Or else it wouldn't fare too well for him. Even if he did everything that Slade asked him to, he still wasn't exempt to his torturous ways. And just as the doors to the computer room opened, he knew he would go through the pain all over again. _

_"Robin, the computer flagged an IP address in the system. Where is it?" Slade growled, instantly noticing that something was amiss._

_"Really, it did? Must have been a glitch or something. I didn't see anything here." He tried to play dumb, knowing that the masked villain was too clever for that. _

_"Don't play games with me boy! I know what I saw. Who are you desperately trying to protect?" Slade screamed, shaking the foundations of the bunker in the Pyrenees that they were currently residing in. Slade's business had begun to expand because of his apprentice's hard work. Unfortunately, it was that same apprentice that he was about to beat to the ground right now._

_"I really don't know what you're talking about." Robin replied, a sudden firmness in his tone._

_Slade did not like this one bit. He punched Robin swiftly in the face, strong enough to bring him to the floor, blood spewing from his mouth. He spit it out with a rabid determination burning in his eyes._

_"You insolent, little brat! I don't know who you're desperately trying to protect, but you will pay dearly for your actions." He pulled Robin off from the floor using his hair, making him wince in pain. He dragged him out of the computer room, obviously to torture him someplace else. _

_It was in that moment that Robin knew he couldn't stay as Slade's apprentice forever. As his body was being dragged down in the halls, his mind started to formulate a plan as to how he could escape Slade, and protect Raven at the same time. He didn't want to tolerate this torture anymore. He needed to become stronger, more powerful than Slade. He had to defeat him, to crush his bones underneath his feet, in the same way that Slade would be doing in just a few moments. He realized that this had to end soon, and he was determined to get out alive, even if that meant that his master wouldn't._

* * *

Back at the Tower of the Titans East, Speedy entered the research room that Raven was in, desperately trying to catch his breath as adrenaline coursed through his veins.

"Speedy, are you okay?" She asked as she turned to him, wondering why he was in that state.

"Raven… did you…?" he blurted in between breaths.

"Did I what?" she repeated, her mind reeling in the possibilities of what he could mean.

"Did you make Robin do something with the gang?"

Her breath got caught in her throat, feeling as if he had finally discovered the true nature of her relationship with Robin. She instantly remembered the conversation she had with him on the rooftop a few days ago, in which he made a phone call and made Speedy's gang in the Glades _disappear. _But she didn't have them killed, which in her mind justified her actions and participation in what Robin did. She just did what she could to protect Lian and the archer's family from the dangers of the Glades. He couldn't fault her for that, could he?

She shuddered instantly, remembering how Robin asked her the same things just a few days ago. (1)

"Well did you?!" Speedy asked once again, his voice filled with a sudden burst of anger.

"I..It was his idea." Raven replied, just barely above a whisper, suddenly afraid of the archer's outburst. "He recruited the gang as a way to say sorry for punching me in the gut."

"He punched you in the gut?" Speedy repeated in disbelief, shaking his head shortly after. He knew that that little piece of information was important, but he had to get to get back to the matter at hand. "So you're telling me that he made the entire gang disappear, but didn't kill them, just as a favor to you?"

"In a word... yes." Raven's voice was back to her usual monotone, trying not to read into the implications that Speedy was trying to insinuate.

"So... you do realize what this means don't you?"

"That your daughter is safe and there won't be any gangs harassing you ever again?"

"That Robin loves you enough to actually do that for you."

Raven was taken aback at what he said. She could feel a sudden wave of resignation come over the usually proud archer. It was as if he accepted that he wouldn't win against Robin. There was something in that act that made him give up on his competition against the _master. _

"He made a phone call. It didn't even last a minute. I don't think that really says anything." She tried to play it off, seemingly unaffected by the strange surge of emotions from Speedy. But she knew that even her own brand of nonchalance wouldn't change his mind.

The archer shook his head. "Raven, he's supposed to be a heartless criminal mastermind. He doesn't recruit people- he _kills them. _But for him to go out of his way, to change the way he operates just for you, so you could help _me _out, means so much already."

Before she could even interject, he came closer to her, and simply placed an arm on her shoulder. "Raven," he began once again, "thank you for getting Robin to help me and my Lian out. Maybe..." his lips began curving into a smile as he said this, "maybe you're just the person to get Robin to change, back to the good side."

Raven's eyes widened at what he said, since those were the same words that Batman told her. That was the same mission he gave her only a few weeks ago. But with all of her recent conversations with Robin, she highly doubted that she could do anything to bring him back to his old self. She could feel it in his words, in how he revealed his secrets, the inner workings of his mind to her. She knew that Robin had no intention of going back to his heroic ways. And yet everyone seemed to believe that she was the key to allow him to escape the evils of his soul.

"You have no idea what you are saying." Raven spat out, feeling an unwanted pressure being placed upon her shoulders. She stormed out of the room, leaving a dazed archer inside, wondering what he could have said to frustrate the empath.

* * *

Raven avoided Speedy for the duration of that week; he barely even saw the swish of her cloak no matter how much he tried to approach her and talk to her. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he was certain that everything had changed for them. He didn't long for a chance to claim her heart anymore. With what Robin had done, he somehow knew (and accepted) that he was the one who rightfully owned her heart. This was, of course, in spite of the fact that he was an evil criminal mastermind that almost killed him. Well, he decided, when it came to love, nothing really had to make sense.

Raven, on the other hand, finally compiled all her data and presented her work to Cyborg. It took her a grueling week of research, but she had more information on Robin's organization than any other investigating body out there. Which meant all they had to do now was to figure out their next move against the former Titan leader.

"Okay, so we're here to discuss our next options regarding Robin and his apparently vast criminal organization." Cyborg announced to the combined group of Titans West and Titans East. They were all seated in the couch in the common room with serious expressions on their faces. They looked nervously at Cyborg, fearing the next words that were going to come from his mouth. From the way he was standing in front of them, he seemed to be ready to wage a war.

"Raven, what do we know about Robin's organization?"

She was startled for a moment, especially with how Cyborg called her out like that. But she simply cleared her throat and began her report. "From what I found out, he's been making deals with drug lords and crime bosses, and he's been recruiting villains not just in Jump, but in other cities as well. By using his front as a vigilante, he was catching villains, only to break them out a few days later, with the condition that they'll be working for him. Which was why Cinderblock suddenly appeared in Steel City a few days after Robin 'caught' him in Jump." (2)

"Yeah, and he sent that ball of taunting messages to us." Beastboy interjected, frustration coloring his usually cheery voice.

Raven was caught off guard by Beastboy's sudden outburst. Though he didn't say much, she could feel his anger rolling off of him in waves. And she wasn't used to that kind of rage to come from the usually happy-go-lucky shapeshifter. But then again, this ordeal with Robin has brought out a side of him that she had not seen before.

She cleared her throat, in a futile attempt to alleviate the hostility his comment caused the group. "Aside from that, there have been reports that he's been absorbing crime syndicates all over the country, consolidating them into one, huge organization. They aren't really sure how he does it, but if this is true, then he will probably be in control of all the illegal groups all over the country, making him the most powerful villain in America."

"Dude, is that even possible?" Speedy suddenly asked, masking his concern with his normal, relaxed tone. "I mean, if he was that dangerous, shouldn't the League have at least tried to stop him by now?"

"That's the thing." Bumblebee replied, getting up from her spot on the couch. "We tried contacting the League but they didn't have information on this new organization. And we didn't really have clear evidence to connect it to Robin to it, so we just gave it as a tip."

"Which they probably won't even take seriously." Beastboy muttered to himself.

"Okay Beastboy, you've been dropping all these comments through the whole meeting. So if you want to say something, you'd better say it now." Cyborg suddenly called his best friend out, as if he was embarrassing him in front of the whole group. The Titans were surprised to say the least at Cyborg's behavior. They thought that he couldn't simply call him out like that, especially since they were almost inseparable with their meat-tofu wars and Gamestation duels. But when Cyborg became the leader of the Titans, he could suddenly be cold enough to reprimand his best friend without even thinking of what he could be going through.

But the cybernetic teen wasn't the only one who had changed in the Tower. Beastboy suddenly stood up from his seat, anger blazing in his green eyes. He faced his best friend with an enraged expression on his face as he finally spoke, "You know what, I will actually speak out for once." He turned his angered gaze toward Raven, who was seated on the sofa, her eyes revealing how confused she was with the recent turn of events.

"This is all your fault!" he screamed out, his finger pointed at the empath.

"What? How is this _my_ fault?" Raven shouted out, her monotone acquiring a sharp edge to it.

"Because of your stupid romance with Robin, he's waging war against the Titans! Before we know it, every villain in America is going to come to the Tower and defeat us all!"

"First of all, just because he admitted his love for me on national television, doesn't mean that there is something going on between us." She was standing up from the couch as well, dark energy pooling around her hands. "And secondly, what does that have to do with him being an evil criminal mastermind? How can you even logically implicate _me_ into his crimes?"

"Oh don't play dumb with me! He's harassing us so that you'd finally come running into his arms. Well why don't you just do it, huh? Why don't you just go to him and leave us in peace?!" Beastboy came up to her and pushed her with his arms, which sent her stumbling onto the common room floor. That was when the other Titans decided to intervene. Cyborg and Speedy held Beastboy back from attacking Raven again, while Starfire and Bumblebee helped her up from the floor.

"Beastboy, I have no idea what has gotten into you but I do hope you start considering your next words because they might be your last." Raven threatened as she pointed her hands at the shapeshifter, dark energy pooling at her fingertips. If he said the wrong thing, she would send him into a merciless dimension where he wouldn't get out alive.

"Wasn't that exactly what he said? Right before we left Jump City, you talked to him on top of the T-car, and those words came from his mouth! He said he would leave us alone if you'd just come with him!"

Raven's eyes widened at what he said; she didn't think that anyone heard their conversation on top of the T-car, especially since she had put up a shield to protect them. (3) But she remembered how he had begun to doubt her even before they were attacked by the Slade-bots. With his suspicions and his supersonic hearing, she realized that he had overheard their conversation: he heard Robin's offer to her, he heard of her promise that she wouldn't give up on him despite everything that he had done.

"Is this true, Raven?" Cyborg asked, still in his authoritative tone.

She only looked down in resignation as all of the other Titans turned their gaze toward her. She could feel so many emotions coming from them that she couldn't pinpoint from who they were coming from- anger, confusion, pain, shock, disbelief. All the emotions were muddled before her, and she felt like drowning in their depths.

"We were all so lost then. I knew I couldn't leave you all so broken and confused. I had to stay to help us get back on our feet. I couldn't go with him until we were all strong enough." She said, barely above a whisper. Her admission rung clearly through everyone's ears, reminding them of the implications of her actions.

"Well you should've just left us alone! Now look at where we are right now! We're about to be attacked by a madman! You could've stopped this, Raven! You could've spared us! But now we're all gonna die because of you!" Beastboy screamed once again, thrashing against Cyborg's and Speedy's grasp.

"Beastboy calm down! No one is going to die here, okay?" Bumblebee interjected, doing her best to calm the shapeshifter down.

"And besides, would you really rather have Raven give herself up to an evil mastermind just so you could live happily ever after?" Speedy added, glaring at him through his grasp. "It's not like you would've done the same if you were in her shoes."

"Don't you think that the only reason why this Tower is still standing is because I'm in it?" Raven stated, still with that cold edge in her tone. She had calmed down greatly, reining in her emotions before she could inflict damage to the Tower or to Beastboy. "If I do go to Robin, what do you think is going to stop him from attacking the hell out of this Tower?"

"But he said he wouldn't hurt us if you went to him." he said in a defeated voice.

"Villains aren't a man of their word, Beastboy. Shouldn't you know that by now?" she replied, glaring daggers at the changeling.

There was a pregnant pause that came over the common room as everyone tried to calm down and assess the situation before them. Only steadying breaths could be heard while they all tried to figure out what to do next.

"Raven's right, we can't trust anything Robin says." Cyborg finally spoke, once again assuming his role as the leader. "But at the same time, we can't really sit around here like idiots while he makes his organization stronger and stronger. We have to stop him while we still can."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Bumblebee asked, irritation suddenly present in her tone.

"We can't let him push us around anymore. If he is determined to attack us, then we have to do everything in our power to stop him. It's time we bring the fight to him." Cyborg announced proudly, as he threw his fist up in the air, as if he were calling them to war.

Excitement came in the room as the faces of the Titans lit up in enthusiasm. Cyborg's words gave them the direction that they needed to get past the predicament that they were in. Unfortunately, not all of the Titans were thrilled to hear their leader's speech.

"No, we can't." Bumblebee said, her voice disrupting the mood in the common room.

Everyone turned to her, puzzled as to why she would be the first to reject the idea. With all their eyes on her, she took this as an opportunity to voice out her opinions. "Me and Sparky have been talking about this for awhile now, and c'mon guys, do you think we're really ready to take on an entire organization of not just low-life thugs, but villains _too? _ We're lucky if we actually beat these guys one by one, but a whole _army _of these things? Do you think we'll even stand a chance against them?"

"But if we don't do anything now, Robin could attack us at any moment and we'll get caught off-guard and then we'll all be dead!" Cyborg spat out, once again glaring at his girlfriend because of their difference in opinion.

"Well if we charge in there unprepared then we'll all be dead just the same!" She raised her hands in frustration, glowering back at the cybernetic teen.

"I'm the leader here and we'll do as I say!" he shouted out, pointing proudly at himself.

"Well I'm the leader too and this is my building you're in right now!"

The whole room tensed once again at Bumblebee's words. They knew that she was right, that even though Cyborg had been acting like the leader throughout this whole meeting, Bumblebee was still the leader of Titans East, the place that they have been for the past few months. And it seemed that the Titans West have overstayed their welcome in Steel City.

Bumblebee heaved a sigh before finally opening her mouth to speak. "Okay, why don't we just vote on this to see what we're going to do, since any option we take will inevitably lead to our deaths." She raised her hand halfheartedly in the air. "Okay, who are for staying in Steel City, gather more information and probably wait for the Justice league to help us out?"

Raven, Mas y Menos and Speedy had their hands in the air.

"Okay, and who are for attacking the Titans West tower and risk losing our lives against a criminal organization we barely know anything about?" This time she didn't even raise her hand.

Cyborg, and Beastboy's hands were in the air. Starfire was about to raise her own hand when Aqualad stopped her from doing so.

"Why aren't you guys voting?" Bumblebee asked, instantly noticing the Atlantian's actions.

"Because… we're leaving the Titans for awhile."

Gasps could be heard across the room. It would seem that too much was being revealed to them in one sitting. Any more mind-blowing revelations and their brains would have exploded all over the common room.

"Excuse me, you're what?" Cyborg blurted out in disbelief.

"Look, I know that this is horrible timing but we've been thinking about this for awhile now (4) and honestly, we're not ready to risk our lives just for some vendetta that you have against Robin. Plus, we're probably one of his primary targets because of Starfire's past relationship with him. It's nothing personal, really. We're just trying to find the best way wherein we can get out of this alive." Aqualad explained, trying to make the others see their side.

"But you can't leave now! If we're going to attack Robin, then we need all the help that we can get!" Beastboy pleaded desperately.

"With our current members, we're already greatly outnumbered. But if you guys leave us then we won't stand a chance against them." Cyborg said, doing his best to still have an authoritative tone, though he was basically begging to the Atlantian.

"I'm sorry guys but…" before Aqualad could even say no, Starfire held on to his wrist and looked at him with imploring eyes. "Starfire…?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Boyfriend Aqualad, I know that we have talked about this, but I do believe we can not leave our friends at a time like this. I do want to visit your kingdom, but as a Tamaranian, I do not back down from a fight. Our friends require our assistance, and _I _will do everything in my power to help them." She stated her thoughts with a burning determination in her eyes. She would not back down, not from anything.

Aqualad let out a defeated sigh and closed his eyes, trying to weigh his options to see which would be best for them. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he finally said, "Fine, we'll help them. But if we're going to attack, we can't waste any more time waiting for something to happen.

If we're going to do this, then we have to do this now."

Cyborg threw a victorious gaze at Bumblebee, knowing that his plan would come to fruition. Bumblebee could only roll her eyes at the proud actions of her boyfriend, but she knew when she was beaten. They had no choice but to bring the fight to Robin, even if it meant that they were walking to their defeat.

"Glad to have everyone aboard in this mission." Cyborg said proudly, calling everyone's attention through his confident, authoritative voice. "Now here's what we're going to do…"

And though everyone listened intently to Cyborg's plan and seemed to agree with it, all the revelations that were exposed in that meeting had affected them more than they had realized. Each and every one of their evils have come out of the open, and it would only be a matter of time until their broken selves would be the cause of their own downfall.

Meanwhile, inside the other Titans Tower, he was grinning wickedly at the events that had just transpired. His plans have unfolded perfectly, and soon enough, the Teen Titans would destroy themselves with their own hands.

* * *

**A/N : So I'm sorry for the horrible delay. I had to make sure that I was going to pass my Philippine Institutions 100 Exam first. Which is actually 3 units about our national hero. I wonder if other countries have a required course like this, or is it just a Filipino thing? :))**

**Just to be clear, that part that is italicized is a flashback. I know it might have been a little confusing so I took the precaution of changing it to italics :)**

**Oh and we went back a lot to other chapters in this one, I guess which was a way of tying some loose ends. So here's a guide so that you know which chapter is being referred to. :)**

**(1) : Chapter 10**

**(2) : Chapter 6**

**(3) : Chapter 4**

**(4) : Chapter 5**

**So yeah things have been crazy which is also why I haven't been too active in FFnet :( But I promise that I'm going to finish this story! It'll just be a few more chapters, so yeah I hope you guys can be just a little more patient with me! :D**

**And thank you for your reviews! They are the ones that really pushed me to finish this chapter so thank you so much! :D**

**electrickpanda: I know! I love that Aqualung song! I have this playlist that I listen to for this story, and they're all dark, except for that song, cause it's just so pretty :D I hope your heart enjoys this chapter too! **

**ahsokalo: Thank you! Haha I suppose in a way Robin's educating you too. ;) Teehee**

**acrobats they tumble: I actually liked writing that scene. I think we all needed to lighten up a bit with this story, hence that scene. Thank God for Arrow (which is getting exciting once again) Hope you enjoy this chapter too! **

**Dakatmew: Sorry if this took awhile! And I know we don't see Robin in this chapter, or do we see him in the way that the Titans are acting? Maybe that was his plan all along...? **

**Delta501: Thank you for the review! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint!**

**TheDreamChaser: I read that comic and I knew that we had to put it in the story, just to lighten things up a bit. :)) Thank you! I hope this chapter brought something different too!**

**Guest: I apologize for that! :o Here's a virtual cookie for your uhh.. troubles :))**

**Pizzachic: Haha I'm not really sure. Must be the bad boy appeal. : Good question! For those who are wondering why it's entitled Number 1 Zero, it was because this was originally a one-shot songfic from the song of the same title from Audioslave. But yeah it evolved into something else. Plus, I like the idea that for Raven, Robin is supposed to be her Number 1 because of her feelings, but at the same time, he's also her Zero, which means like he should mean nothing to her, because he's her enemy. So yeah, I liked the whole duality of their relationship. Hope that clears up some things!**

**MonkeyFish: It was supposed to be his drug use, like in the comics. But yeah, Arrow has a different opinion on that. :)) Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

**Nya Nya18: Thank you for that review! You make my heart swell. :) I do think there a lot of wonderful Rob/Rae stories out there, so yeah. Keep on spreading the love and I hope this still caught your attention! :D**

**HermioneSakuraGardner07: Welcome back to the world of Teen Titans fanfiction! I'm glad you like the idea of the different sides of the characters. I hope you enjoyed seeing them come out especially in this chapter! :) And thank you for your awesome review! **

**ItsjustRAE: Huhu thank you for your review! Your review really pushed me to get up on my ass and finally write this chapter! Though I do believe this chapter left you even more confused than before. Tee hee. Anyway I still hope you enjoy the rollercoaster ride that is this story! And I'm glad you liked the song too. Gotta love Audioslave : And Rob/Rae of course :**

**Thank you everyone who is reading this story! I hope you bear with me for just a few chapters more because we are coming down to the wire here. Things are starting to fall apart and we'll finally see what Robin has planned out for the Titans. And with that said, hope you all have fine and wonderful days! :D I love you all! 'Til next time! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_"You belong to me, my Snow White Queen  
__There's nowhere to run so let's just get it over  
__Soon I know you'll see you're just like me  
__Don't scream anymore, my love, 'cause all I want is you_

_All I want is you_  
_All I want is you_  
_All I want is you_  
_[Forever and ever, ever and ever]"_

_- Evanescence, __Snow White Queen_

A dark shadow moved from inside the Titans West Tower. It scoured through the basement walls, counting the helicopters, jets, trucks, tanks, and numerous cars that were inside it. Afterwards, it went up to two different floors, checking the rooms within the Tower. The shadow passed through the walls, checking if they have been moved or changed in any way. It then crept up the walls toward the training room, which now had the addition of heavy artillery like guns and grenades inside of it. It took note of that important detail as it flew to the floor where it sensed the most movement in the seemingly silent Tower. It was lead to a conference room, one that the Titans West never really used before. The shadow hid inside one of the air vents, patiently waiting inside to see what was to happen next.

* * *

"Raven's inside the Tower." Cyborg said as he activated his earpiece, addressing to the other Titans who were hunched beside him. They were cloaked by one of Raven's spells just on the sandy shores of the Tower, making them invisible to the naked eye. "She says the basement is filled with cars, tanks, jets and helicopters. Man, it's like he's hiding an army in there." he continued, informing the Titans of everything that Raven was seeing as she passed through the Tower undetected in her soul-self.

"He probably is." Beastboy muttered darkly to himself.

"Beastboy, I don't think your negative disposition is quite helpful in our dire situation." Starfire said with a reprimanding tone in her voice.

"When did you become so vocal?" he snapped at the Tamaranian princess, which she did not take lightly. And her boyfriend did not appreciate, either.

"She can say whatever she wants to say, especially if it's against an ass like you." Aqualad defended, standing in front of his girlfriend, ready to put the shapeshifter in his place.

"Stop it! We don't have time for this!" Cyborg screamed out, startling all of the Titans around him. Though Raven's spell was still in effect, with the way that they were shouting at each other, it wouldn't be surprising if they were discovered soon. "I don't know what your problem is BB, but I swear if you don't shut up right now I am going to put you in the front door step of the Tower and I'll let Robin deal with you."

Beastboy finally became quiet with his words. His fists clenched in anger when he was reminded of the one man whom he blamed for all of the misfortunes that they were going through, especially the misfortunes of his own heart.

"Where is Raven now?" Bumblebee asked, trying to bring everyone back to the matter at hand.

"She says she went through our rooms and nothing's been changed. She says your room is still as pink as you left it, Star." the cybernetic teen replied, teasing the hurt Tamaranian, earning a small smile from her. "Oh, okay. Now that's scary." He suddenly said, fear clearly etched on his face.

"What is wrong, Friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked in a worried tone.

"She passed by the training room and said that it already had guns, grenades and all that stuff in it! We didn't have those back then, didn't we?" he asked in disbelief.

"See? I told you he was planning for war!" Beastboy shouted out with sudden fervor.

"Well, now we'll know for sure. Raven is going to patch us up in a meeting with Robin and his _associates._"

* * *

Raven, now out of her soul-self, was quietly watching through the air vent as people started coming into the conference room. They were mostly men in expensive-looking suits, all looking quite unscrupulous in her eyes. There were also women that entered, wearing provocative dresses and high-heeled stilettos. Her eyes widened when she saw Two-Face, one of Gotham's most notorious criminals enter the room. They all took their place in the conference table, uncharacteristically patient as they all waited for _him. _As if on cue, Robin walked into the room, with his head held up high in his plain black body suit, with his gold utility belt and steel toed boots. Strangely enough, it was only then that Raven truly noticed how Robin's form had become mature in the past two years. He became much taller, almost six feet in height. His body became even more muscular, biceps and abdominals straining through his tight body suit. His ebony hair fell around his face, unlike his time as a Titan when it was always gelled up. The way he entered the room invoked respect from the other villains there, even though they were in the business much longer than he was. But they all knew that it didn't matter as he took his place at the end of the long, rectangular table, signaling for the meeting to commence.

"Welcome to our monthly meeting. I'm sure you are all quite eager to hear what we have accomplished over the past month." Robin's proud, authoritative voice echoed throughout the conference room. Even with masked eyes, he exuded such confidence that it made everyone present listen intently to what he had to say.

"We now have complete control over Steel City. The final gang that was in our way has now been absorbed." They all politely clapped at Robin's words, praising the Master for his efforts that were partly influenced by the woman he loved. Raven didn't know what she should have felt at the Master's words, especially since she just helped a madman in his evil conquest. (1)

As their applause died down, he continued with his accomplishments. "We've also added Merlyn (2) to the list of our supervillain associates." At this, the whole grouped cheered despite their supposed professional standing. Merlyn was the most powerful villain in Starling City and to have him on their side only meant success for their corporation. Raven and the Titans were nervously listening through the earpieces, especially Speedy. He was the only one who knew how dangerous Merlyn was, and to have him on Robin's side only showed how powerful the _Master _truly was.

"Now... now..." Robin said, trying to calm the cheering crowd down. "I have to admit that it wasn't easy, but I can tell you that all that hard work was definitely worth it." The group clapped once again, but it quickly died down as they waited for the Master's next announcement.

"As per request of the _Mistress," _as he said that word, his face quickly turned into a mischievous grin, "we are moving to a new base of operations. I was thinking of Bludhaven, a nice small city outside of Gotham. It would provide rich soil for our nefarious plans. It is still a very young city, but I am confident that we can shape it to our liking. What do you all think?" The group clapped once again, voicing out their support at what Robin had said. Meanwhile, inside the air vent, Raven felt a chill race down her spine. She couldn't believe that one small comment, (3) which he had totally taken out of context, was enough to influence his decisions and change his plans, which she only assumed was for the worse. Fear now surged her veins as she waited on the next revelation of Robin's future undertakings.

He cleared his throat as his eyes darkened, seemingly planning something nefarious. Raven found it odd that he was about to do something wicked, even in a room filled with his supposed colleagues. His lips curved into a mischievous grin once again, sending her heart into an erratic pace, fearing what he had planned next for the group.

His evil comrades seemed oblivious to his future schemes, which only made the Master even more pleased with himself. He looked toward one of the long-standing mob bosses in his organization, Carmine Falcone (4) with a surge of nostalgia. In the year that he had been working with the mob boss, he realized that the man hadn't changed at all. He still looked like Marlon Brando from _The Godfather. _His white hair was still slicked back while his expensive tuxedo was pressed to perfection. The large gold ring he wore on his hand reminded Robin of the first time that they had met, the first step that he made to create the vast criminal organization he had today.

* * *

Flashback

Robin stood outside the abandoned warehouse just outside of Gotham. He was once again Slade's emissary for that night's transaction. Except this time, they were the ones that were going to double-cross their business partners. He was instructed to kill everyone from the other mob family after taking the shipment that they needed. Personally, he didn't have a problem in doing that, but he had other things in mind for the Falcone mob, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Gotham.

From his black and orange mask, similar to what Slade wore, he could see that a couple of cars were already approaching him. He was quite irritated with the mask that Slade made him wear, ever since the incident with Tony Zucco. (5) He felt stupid wearing a mask that covered his whole face _and _a domino mask that covered his eyes, but he knew it was necessary. He didn't want anyone else connecting him back to the Titans, especially to Raven.

He snapped out of his reverie when the line of cars stopped in front of him. The doors opened and instantly five bodyguards came from inside it. And finally, the infamous mob boss himself, Carmine Falcone stepped out of the car. Robin chuckled to himself, thinking that Batman would have jumped at the opportunity to apprehend Falcone right then and there. Unfortunately, the former Boy Wonder was on the other side of the law at that very moment, and he still had some important business to attend to.

Falcone, or "The Roman" as he was called, approached Robin confidently with an arrogant gait. "So you must be Slade's apprentice..." he said as he looked at him from head to toe. "Well I have to admit, the mercenary knows how to choose his associates."

Robin didn't even flinch at his comment, still keeping perfectly still. The Roman chuckled lightly to himself, secretly admiring his discipline and skill. He could feel the potential that hid underneath Robin's lean body, and he knew that the former Boy Wonder could be a formidable foe if he wanted to.

"We have the location of the shipment that you asked for." The Roman spoke once again, finally getting into business. "Once you give us the microchip, we will give you the location where you can pick up the shipment. Do we have a deal?"

Robin smirked to himself. This was the part wherein he was supposed to say that the deal was off, and he would just force Falcone to give away the location and kill everyone in the group. But, fortunately for them, he had other plans.

"To tell you honestly, Slade told me to tell you the deal was off and to kill you all, then get the shipment of course." Robin replied confidently, even as all of Falcone's bodyguards pointed their guns at him for what he said. "But... I don't want to play it like that." He added, raising his hands in mock surrender.

The Roman raised his eyebrow, interested at what he had to say. "What did you have in mind?" he asked carefully, curiosity coloring his tone.

"I'll give you the chip anyway." He replied with a smirk, though no one could see it behind his mask. "I'll give you the chip, you give me the location of the shipment, I won't kill you, and we'll all go home happy, safe and with what we came for."

Falcone considered his offer for a moment, his hand underneath his chin, as he was in deep thought. His ring finger was right above his chin, showing off his signature gold ring. "I'll admit, I like the offer that you are giving me, but tell me boy, why go all the trouble of betraying your master just for me?"

Robin's smile grew wider behind his mask, hearing the one question that he wanted to answer above all. "Nothing, really. It's just an act of good faith, I suppose. And when the time comes that I will be needing your help, you'll remember this kindness that I extended upon you. Soon, I will make you an offer you can't refuse. (6)"

Once again, The Roman considered the options that Robin was giving him. He couldn't just blindly accept his help without truly understanding his offer. It seemed like an act of good faith-nothing more, nothing less. But Falcone could feel that Slade's apprentice was up to something, in fact he was up to something big. And accepting his help today would make him his future associate tomorrow. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, trying to figure out what his plans really were. But seeing as that was close to impossible, he simply shook his head and gave his answer.

"Alright, I accept." He said as he extended his arm to shake Robin's. The former Boy Wonder had a roguish smile underneath his mask as he took the mob boss's hand.

"Thank you. I hope this is the start of a wonderful partnership." His voice held the smile that was on his lips as he discreetly slid the chip in Falcone's hand. The Roman slid the chip into the pocket of his tuxedo, as he turned away from the meeting.

Robin turned away as well to disappear into the night before Falcone's voice called out to him again.

"Wait, what am I supposed to call you? Can't you at least leave me with a name?"

At this, Robin turned back around with a mischievous smile on his lips, hidden by his mask, of course.

"Just call me... _Master."_

* * *

A little more than a year after their fateful first meeting, Robin wondered if Falcone really kept his end of the bargain, especially with what he had just discovered that night.

"Now... for the sad part of our meeting..." Robin began, as he started pacing around the table, making his associates' hearts thump in worry.

"I have received word that some shipments have gone _missing. _Apparently, one of you was stupid enough to double-cross me." He tsked as he said those words, shaking his head in disgust. "And to think that the only reason that that person is still alive today is because I didn't double-cross him a year ago; you would think he'd be man enough to give that same courtesy to me."

The tone of his voice was so chilling that it sent shivers down everyone's spine, including Raven's. She knew that if he used that tone, then it only meant that he had something sinister planned for one of his associates, if not for all of them.

He took slower steps this time, sending their hearts racing in fear. They were sure that the person he would stop to was the perpetrator. But they didn't even have time to breathe when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and gripped on the neck of the person in front of him.

Carmine Falcone's body was suddenly suspended in the air, bringing everyone to shock. Here was one of the most powerful mob bosses in Gotham, hanging by his neck, completely at the mercy of the former Boy Wonder.

"W-what is the meaning of this Master?" he barely choked out as he gripped upon Robin's arm, trying futilely to escape his grasp.

"You're the one swindling the shipments!" he shouted out, startling the whole group. Falcone was considered one of the most loyal associates in the corporation, and yet he was right in front of them, begging for his life from their Master. "Did you really think you could get away that _easily? _ I know all of your plans; I know all of your schemes. I'm always two steps ahead of you. I have already known of your deceit a few months ago, I just didn't think you were _that stupid _to think that you could fool me. Apparently, I was wrong."

His grip tightened around Falcone's neck, and he was quickly losing the color on his face. Everyone in the room knew what was to come next. There was only one fate for people like him. No matter how strong or how powerful they were, if they even thought of going against the Master, there was only death for them.

"Fortunately, that will be the last mistake that I will ever make." As Robin said those words, he was ready to twist his neck, sending an audible crack throughout the whole room. Falcone seemed to know what was to come as well; he closed his eyes roughly, praying to God for forgiveness of his sins. Robin was about to send the final blow, when a voice disrupted his thoughts.

"Robin, no!" Raven screamed through his mind, desperation leaking in her tone. "Don't kill him!"

He instantly turned his head toward the direction where he heard her voice. Their bond suddenly flared to life, and he could sense that she was in that very room. He looked straight at the air vent, and his lips turned into a twisted smile. He now realized that she had concealed their bond so as to escape his detection. But with her interference, she revealed her presence to him, and now his plans have instantly changed.

He dropped Falcone from his grasp, allowing him to fall to the floor. The whole group was shocked to see the powerful "Roman" crawling on the floor, coughing and trying to catch his breath. This was the first time that the Master showed any kind of consideration against those who wronged him. They could only guess what could have prompted him to spare the mob boss's life after his unforgivable deceit.

Falcone came to his feet and started kissing them, eternally grateful for the Master for sparing his life. He promised to be forever loyal to him, and to never fool him in any transaction ever again. Robin simply dismissed his act and asked him to get off the floor, saying that they had more important things to do.

"Falcone, if you ever do something like that again, I promise you I will make you suffer a fate worse than death." He warned, as he took his place in front of the whole group. "As for everyone else, let this be a reminder. If you ever so as try to double-cross me as well, I won't be as lenient. And that concludes our meeting for this month." He finally said, as if he didn't almost end someone's life. "Just remember that Operation Τιτάν (6) has now begun. Just take your posts and be alert at all times. Meeting adjourned."

Instantly, the whole group got up from their seats and started exiting the conference room. Even Carmine Falcone, the one who almost lost his life just a few moments ago, walked out of the room, still in disbelief that his life was spared during that meeting.

Finally, as the last of the group came out of the room, Robin let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. A smile lit up his face as he said these words:

"Come out now, Raven. I know you're in here."

A dark portal appeared right beside his feet, giving entrance to the dark empath. She had a blank expression on her face, but Robin could feel her nervousness from their bond.

"Don't be afraid." he said softly, turning to her and reaching out to her, even as she backed away. "I'm not mad at you for interfering with my business awhile ago. At least I have one less body to dispose of." He kept his voice light, and with a smile on his face, despite the fact that he was talking about almost committing murder.

Raven simply shook her head, not trusting her mouth to speak after what had just happened. Everything was getting out of hand. Robin wasn't even supposed to know that she was here. But she couldn't just let that man die right before her eyes, even if he was probably very sinister and evil, or a powerful mob boss. Now she has to pay the price for her interference: she now had to face the _Master _himself. And she honestly wasn't sure if she could defeat him on her own.

He finally had her backed up in a corner, with nowhere to go. His devilish smile grew even wider as he said, "I'm not sure why you're here, but you do know that you're not getting out, right?"

Raven gasped at his words. Her mouth fell open as she finally realized how dangerous her mission was. She failed to understand that in the event that Robin caught her inside the Tower, he wouldn't let her out at all costs. He might not kill her, but that didn't mean that he'd set her free, either.

"You can't keep me here." was all that she managed to say.

"Is that so?" he replied teasingly, trapping her wrists in a vice-like grip. "I beg to differ. See? I already have you right where I want you." He pressed his body against her own, trapping her even more between the cold, steel wall and his own muscled chest. Her heart slammed in her ribs in fear. She found the truth in his words and even if she struggled against him, it would only prove to be futile against his strong grasp.

But she'd be damned if she didn't at least try.

She suddenly lifted up both of her legs and pushed Robin off of her, sending him flying a few meters away from her. She began opening a portal behind her but Robin stopped her chances of escape with a birdarang on her cloak.

"Oh do go on, Raven. I love it when you make things rough." His devilish smile grew even wider as he lunged toward her, ready to attack. She couldn't see his eyes but she could feel the overwhelming excitement coming from him. _He was actually enjoying this. _And though she readied herself in a defensive stance, her heart was sputtering in fear of what was to come.

Robin had a clenched fist aimed at her stomach again, attempting to make her unconscious just like last time. Raven saw through this and blocked his attack with her arms crossed over each other. She felt the brunt force of his punch and it startled her at first, but she regained herself and took Robin's arm and threw him toward the side. He expertly flipped mid-air and landed on his feet with such grace that irritated Raven. This was not going to be easy for her at all.

"You can't just trap me here, Robin. I'm not just one of your lackeys that will bend to your will!" She took on the offensive this time, aiming for a spinning kick toward his head. He easily avoided the attack and used her position to wrap his arms around her stomach and pull herself toward him, trapping her in his arms.

"But don't you see? That's what I love about you. You keep me challenged; you keep me thinking of ways of how to finally get you. But keep in mind that I _will win, _Raven. It will only be a matter of time, and then I will have you in my arms." Robin whispered teasingly into her ear as she tried her best to struggle in his arms. She was confused as to why Robin was doing this. She didn't know why he wanted them to fight like what they were doing now. But she was sure of one thing: if it was a fight he wanted, then it was a fight that he was going to get.

Her eyes glowed white as a dark wave of energy erupted from her, setting her free from his unrelenting hold. He slammed against a nearby wall from the sheer power of her force. Though Raven knew that he felt pain as his back hit the wall, it all disappeared with the mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

"Now that's more like it." he said before he lunged for her once again. She put up a shield around her, protecting herself from his incoming attacks. But instead of going right for the shield, he jumped up and threw a flash bomb at her. She was able to defend herself from the light of the flash, but her surprise made her lose concentration, and in only a matter of minutes, she had her shield down and was susceptible to his attacks once again.

She was disoriented; she didn't know where he was. But a sudden movement at the far corner of the room gave his location away. She chanted her mantra and sent the conference chairs flying toward him. Robin easily evaded all of them, but he didn't expect her to send the whole conference table toward him. He wasn't able to avoid the large object, and before he knew it, he was trapped underneath its weight.

When she saw what happened, Raven finally relaxed. Her eyes returned to their normal color, calming down at the sight of Robin's momentarily defeated form- _momentarily _being the operative word in that statement. She had to get out of the Tower before Robin got up once again, which would probably be soon.

She clicked on her earpiece and spoke to Cyborg, hoping that things were better at their end.

* * *

Meanwhile with the Titans, everything was incredibly tense between them. Aside from the fact that they had been arguing only a few moments before, they were terrified with the events that they had been hearing throughout the entire meeting. They heard of Raven's struggle against Robin, and they all feared for her safety. All of them faced defeat when they took on the _Master _one by one, and they were afraid that the same fate would befall on their dark empath.

Just then, they heard her voice through the radio system. Cyborg set it up so that everyone could hear what was going on in her end. "This is Raven to the Titans. I was almost caught by Robin but I have him down to the ground right now. Ready to go back to the location."

Their faces lit up in the realization that she was actually able to defeat Robin. Soft cheers could be heard around them as they rejoiced with Raven in her victory. They felt hope spring forth in their hearts; it was as if they could actually succeed against the crazed _Master _and be victorious in their seemingly suicidal mission.

But their hope was short-lived as they heard muffled sounds of a struggle. It only lasted for a moment and then they heard nothing.

Their fears were only confirmed when they heard Robin's voice saying : "Hello? Is this the Titans? I have Raven with me right now. If you want her back, you'll have to get her from the Titans West Tower." He let out a taunting laugh before he continued. "Oh and thank you for delivering my love to my doorstep. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together while waiting for you to arrive."

And just like that, her earpiece went dead.

* * *

**A/N : I only have apologies for the delay! My supposed one week of summer vacation was quite hectic :| I had to work on scholarship papers, job applications, and getting sick. I still am btw *sniff*sniff* but I knew that I had to give this chapter to you guys (especially before school starts) so yay!**

**And there a lot of notes in this chapter so let's get on with them!**

**(1) : Chapter 10**

**(2) : For those who are familiar with the Green Arrow comics (honestly I'm not :)) ), I know he's sort of like the Joker to Batman. For those who have watched Arrow (and it's amazing season finale) he's basically Tommy's dad. So yeah he wears a black hood and shoots arrows too. We'll see more of him in the next chapter. Tee hee :**

**(3) : Chapter 9**

**(4) : Carmine Falcone is one of the mob bosses of Gotham. He came out in Batman Begins. And it said in Wikipedia that he was really based on The Godfather so that's basically why I chose him. But he's mostly just a plot device and a random mob boss in the story.**

(5) : Chapter 9

**(6) : Sorry, I couldn't help The Godfather reference. So sue me. :)) **

**Personally, I'm really touched by you guys and all the love that you've showered upon this story. *sniff*sniff* All of your reviews warm my heart and keep me inspired to finish this story no matter how crazy my summer got. Words cannot express how happy I am that you are all enjoying this story, and I hope this chapter did not disappoint, and that you'll also enjoy as we slowly wrap this story up.**

Though I do believe this story has enough meat for a sequel, but I'm not really sure if I'm still up to it. If anyone else wants to make their own sequel, I'll be glad to let you guys do so. Just tell me beforehand hihi. : Oh well on to the replies!

**Pizzachic: Hehe well I am a Rob/Rae fan so... but anyway stick around to see if they do end up together! I actually like your idea, it's one of the possibilities that I'm thinking for the possible (but highly unlikely sequel) but we'll see what happens :)) Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy this story and I hope it hasn't been disappointing just yet.**

TheDreamChaser: Sorry this wasn't soon. Hehe. I know, the Titans are really going through crap and Raven's right smack in the middle. They even made her go in the Tower all alone. It's weird that I'm saying this, but I honestly think that's their way of taking advantage of her awesomeness.  


**Delta501: Thank you so much! Thankfully I did pass my exams so hurrah! And we'll actually hate Beastboy more in the next chapters so hehe hope you stick around for that!  
**

**acrobats they tumble : Thank you! I honestly think they put too much pressure on Raven, but this chapter once again showed her influence over Robin.. so that might lead to something in the future... (even I'm not sure about that haha :)) )**

**discb: Oh thank you for that! I've always wondered about the heroes thing, but yeah I guess it is really just a Filipino thing. I like how Cyborg, Beastboy, and Aqualad will end up killing everyone! Haha. That would be cool... (ideas formulating in head) Haha thanks!**

Dakatmew : Thank you! Sorry it took so long :( We'll actually somewhat see that kind of action next chapter. Tee hee, so I hope you'd stick around for that! :)  


**itsjustRAE: Haha that All Time Low song is one of the favorites of my brother so yes I do know that song :)) And yeah I'm sorry if things are going crazy, and are still getting crazier with each passing chapter. But don't worry, it'll all tie up well in a couple of chapters, so yeah just a little more craziness and this will all be over! Haha**

**The German Grand Admiral : Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the story and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter too :)**

**HermioneSakuraGardner07 : Hmm.. well I suppose Robin's schemes and manipulations to the team force them to show the darker sides of themselves. Like Cyborg's secret lust for power and Beastboy's tendency to blame others for whatever happens. (which is more of a testament to his immaturity) I hope that made more sense :)  
**

**electrickpanda : Oh dear! I hope your power situation got fixed already! And of course I shall care for your heart. Your reviews make me happy tee hee. And yes, the epic-ness of 30 Seconds to Mars does suit the crazyness of this story. I wish they had an obsessive stalker-ish song so I could use them for the soundtrack of this story (which is the main theme just in case anyone is keeping score )  
**

**Enigmatic Nocturne : Thank you! The fact that you reviewed makes my heart swell :) I'm glad that you like the whole concept of the dark Robin thing, which I feel is kind of a tricky direction to take a story. And I do hope the darker side of the other Titans is still pretty believable. I'm glad you find the supposed love triangle hilarious. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

**ahsokalo : I hope the little Rob/Rae action (and by action I mean literal action :)) ) here at the end. And go ahead and use whatever details for your story, whatever can help!**

**juniperfalcon17 : Huhu thank you! Your review means a lot to me! And thanks kababayan! :) Our professor really related it to the current concerns of the country so I can say that I will be able to use it in real life. Oh and can I answer you in Tagalog just in case some people might consider this as a spoiler but (di ko pa alam kung mamatay si Beastboy sa kwento. Haha ayoko rin sa kanya eh pero nung una wala akong gustong patayin haha pero sige tignan na lang natin. :)) )**

**HockeyKid6622 : Thank you! I'm glad that you are enjoying this story and it isn't too dark for you.I'm sorry this chapter came out so late but I do hope that you still enjoyed it as much as the others!**

**1m4g1n3 dr4g0ns : Huhuhuhu I think your review was really the one that touched me the most! Thank you for that :D I'm really glad that you are enjoying this story even with all the crazyness and the twists and turns. And I love how you totally got Robin and Raven's characters, and Beastboy's even though that they are acting a little differently from what we're used to seeing. I tried to give some substance in Starfire with Chapter 5 but yeah she probably needs more screen time. But yeah your review makes my heart explode every time I read so thank you so much! And I love Imagine Dragons, they are such an awesome band! Okay that is all hope you liked this chapter too :)**

**lucabig1993: Thank you for your review! I know Rob/Rae all the way! :)) I actually didn't think of Raven's bad side since you mentioned it, probably because it's been explored in a lot of comic arcs and stories and what not. But its another one of the possibilities that I'm thinking of for the sequel. But then again, we'll see. Hehe.  
**

**Bloody Phantom : Thank you for review! Raven does try to stay strong, but somehow Robin always ends up manhandling her :| I don't think it's more of an abusive relationship (despite of what I just said :)) ) but it's more of like an obsessive-stalker relationship, the kind that will stop at nothing til he gets the girl that he wants. Which is pretty creepy, but I don't think (and I hope) that we don't see Raven with a black eye anytime soon. :))**

thenightassassin : Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter too!  


**jeyyflorez :Thank you! I know this wasn't soon but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

***phew* okay that was pretty long. But thank you all for your reviews and get ready for the last few installments of Number 1 Zero! :)**

I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS, THE GODFATHER, AUDIOSLAVE'S NUMBER 1 ZERO OR EVANESCENCE'S SNOW WHITE QUEEN


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_"I was born of the womb of a poisonous spell  
Beaten and broken and chased from the lair  
But I rise up above it, high up above it and see_

_I was hung from the tree made of tongues of the weak  
The branches were bones of liars and thieves  
Rise up above it, high up above and see_

_Pray to your God, open your heart_  
_Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark_  
_Cover your eyes, the devil inside_

_One night of the hunter_  
_One day I will get revenge_  
_One night to remember_  
_One day it'll all just end_

_Honest to God I'll break your heart  
Tear you to pieces and rip you apart_

_One night of the hunter  
One day I will get revenge  
One night to remember  
One day it'll all just end, oh.."_

_- 30 Seconds to Mars, Night of the Hunter_

* * *

He saw the conference table flying toward him, and he knew he couldn't dodge it. He could kick it and send it back to Raven, but that would end up hurting her and _that _was definitely out of the question. He knew he had to find another way.

Using the table to obscure her vision, he lied down and placed his hands above his stomach, serving as a buffer against the large object. It finally fell on top of him and its heavy mass was weighing down on him, so he used his arms to lift up the table and slide his body out. He did this without making a sound so as not to alert Raven that he was free. Once he got up, he was thankful that her back was toward him, seemingly talking to herself. He used this time to sneak up behind her, to finally end their little game.

He was finally done playing; it was time to bring his Raven home.

She pressed something in her ear and said: ""This is Raven to the Titans. I was almost caught by Robin but I have him down to the ground right now. Ready to go back to the location." By the time that she was done with her report, he was just a few inches away from her. He could see the instant that her body tensed that she already felt his presence. She knew he was right behind her. But Robin never gave her the chance to confirm her fears. He sent his hand toward the back of her neck swiftly, hitting a bundle of nerves and rendering her unconscious.

She fell down immediately but his strong arms were there to catch her unconscious body. He carried her bridal-style in his arms with a contented smile on his face. He finally had the woman he loved in his arms, and he couldn't be happier. But as he drew nearer to her face, she saw the glint of the earpiece in her ear, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. He took it out and placed it right above his mouth as he said, ""Hello? Is this the Titans? I have Raven with me right now. If you want her back, you'll have to get her from the Titans West Tower." He let out a taunting laugh, finding it amusing as to how the Titans' foolish plans brought Raven straight to him. And now he had everything that he ever wanted. "Oh and thank you for delivering my love to my doorstep. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together while waiting for you to arrive." With that, he crushed the earpiece in his hand, letting its remnants fall to the ground as he took Raven to her room.

* * *

Raven slowly got up from the bed and instantly wondered where she was. Her vision was blurred, and her head was throbbing slightly, making her even more disoriented than she already was. This feeling reminded her of the time that Robin drugged her, made her sleep for two days and chained her to her bed. (1) And with that memory, she suddenly remembered everything that had transpired before that moment. She thought that she had him pinned to the ground, but she should have known that he was too skilled to be defeated just like that.

She placed her hand over her head unconsciously, and she realized that her hand was free to move. She expected to be chained to the bed again, but since she was free then that mean that she could easily teleport out of-

"Oh good! You're awake." an all-too familiar voice said from beside her. She looked toward the direction of the voice and saw her captor, with his shining blue eyes gazing right at her. He instantly placed his hand over her own, making sure she couldn't escape. She simply shook her head in despair, wondering how she got into this situation _once again._

He placed a warm mug of tea just below her nose, letting her take in the soothing aroma. "I got you tea." He said, still smiling as he offered the simple gift to her.

She was surprised as to why he was giving it to her, instantly becoming suspicious.

"How am I supposed to know if this is drugged?" she asked too lightly for her liking.

"I assure you Raven, all that's in there is just tea and hot water. I didn't see the need to restrain you this time."

"Oh, and why is that?" she asked, wholeheartedly curious.

He neared her ear, as his breathy answer escaped from his lips. "Because this time, I know you're not going to leave me."

Her heart skipped a beat from what she heard. She instantly moved away from him, mumbling her thanks. She took the cup anyway, deciding to focus on it, missing its familiar aroma. It had been a long time since she last drank a cup of her chamomile tea. All she could get from the Titans East Tower were generic tea bags that didn't have the same calming effect as her specially-brewed tea. She blew on the top of the cup, cooling it down before she drank the soothing liquid. When it finally poured down her throat, she felt instant peace wash over her, making her momentarily forget that she was in the presence of the _Master. _

Robin felt happiness instantly well up in his heart. He was just content to see her like that, so calm and relaxed. He could only imagine the pain that she endured while with the Titans. As he watched their dealings in the Titans East Tower, he saw how Beastboy shouted at her, how Cyborg left most of the work to her, how Starfire didn't even attempt to comfort her even if they were best friends. And he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to take away the pain in her heart, no matter what the cost.

After taking a few gulps of the delicious tea, her mind started to become clearer, and she remembered why she ended up in his presence in the first place. She suddenly recalled their mission, that the Titans were still outside of the Tower, and they were probably worried about her. She knew she couldn't send her soul-self out to them, since Robin would know and could probably trace it through their bond. She instead searched for them with her empathy, trying to find if they were still there, if they were still alright.

She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought, but she was actually looking for her teammates. She found them outside the Tower, where she had left them just a few hours ago. She was relieved, thankful that they were still safe. But her relief instantly disappeared when she felt their emotions. They were in utter chaos; she could feel anger, resentment, and confusion coming from them. Her brow furrowed, trying to understand why they were all feeling this way. She couldn't understand why their emotions were so chaotic; it was like they were arguing heatedly with each other. It seemed like they were at each other's throats.

But there was one emotion that stood above the rest, and it was one that she knew was directed right at her: _blame_. They were _blaming _her for getting caught, for failing them when they were all counting on her to succeed. She gripped tightly to her mug, almost as if it was going to break in her grasp. She felt so much pain take over her heart, as if she would choke from its sheer intensity. How could they blame her for something outside of her control? How could they say it was her fault that she was caught, when she was the one who lasted the longest against the _Master_? What right do they have to blame her when they have all fallen in the hands of their enemies at one time or another? She closed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that were about to escape from them. Their blame drove her over the edge, and she remembered how the Titans had been treating her for the past months. They took advantage of her, alienated her, and secretly blamed her just because Robin loved her. And now, everything was finally coming out, and she could see the Titans for who they really were, or who they had become.

Robin suddenly felt the incredible surge of pain emanating from Raven. He was worried for her; he wondered why she was feeling this way when just moments ago, she was contentedly sipping her tea. He quickly took her into his arms and held her close, reminding her of his presence. And he was pleasantly surprised when she responded by leaning her head against his chest. She levitated the mug on her side table, so she could wrap her arms around Robin. She held him close and allowed her tears to fall, soaking his black body suit.

He was surprised to say the least by what she was doing. She was hugging him back for the first time, she was seeking comfort from him, and she was shedding her precious tears on his suit. He held her head just above his chin, trying to comfort her as best as he could. He couldn't bear to see her like that, for her to feel so much hurt and pain, probably because of the Titans. He began to run his hand over her back comfortingly, trying to soothe her amidst the ache of her heart. He knew he had to make everything better for her. If he could chase away her fears, then he would.

Robin lifted up her chin to face him, seeing her eyes glisten with unshed tears. He felt his heart break just to see her in so much anguish. And he knew he had to do everything in his power to wipe those tears away from her eyes.

"Shhh... don't cry." He whispered to her, as she drew nearer to her lips. "I'm here now, Raven. And I won't let anything hurt you ever again." Their lips were only a breath apart when he vowed, "I'll take all of your pain away." He sealed his promise with a kiss.

And for the first time, Raven kissed him back.

* * *

"Okay, so who's bright idea was it to send Raven into the Tower?" Speedy asked irritably after hearing Robin's taunting words from her earpiece. The Titans sat around him, looking even more defeated than ever. She was their only hope of surviving in their suicide mission against Robin and his evil corporation. But now that she has been caught, they weren't sure if they could still push through with whatever they had planned.

"You do know Raven's our only trump card against Robin, and now that he has her, he won't even think twice of killing us all." The red-headed archer added, making them feel the gravity of their mistakes even more.

"Then that's great! He can keep his stupid Raven and leave us alone!" Beastboy exclaimed, raising his arms in the air.

"Beastboy! How can you say such a thing toward our friend? Raven has saved us time and time again and this is how you repay her? By leaving her in the hands of our enemies?" Starfire replied, disgusted by the changeling's words.

"Are you seriously suggesting that we just go home and leave her with a Tower filled with supervillains? Even if we can guarantee that Robin won't hurt her, what makes you so sure that the other villains won't? The worst of the worst bad guys are in there, and if Robin can't trust them, what makes you so sure that we can?" Bumblebee added, surprised at what they were suggesting.

"Well what do you supposed we do know? Barge in the Tower and save her? Can we actually do that even without Raven's powers?" Aqualad asked logically.

Cyborg let out a heavy breath and slowly opened his eyes, frustration clearly etched on his face. He stepped in front of the group, once again preparing them for one of his speeches. "The reason that we chose Raven to go in and infiltrate the Tower, and not well Beastboy or Speedy..." he trailed off, unsure of how to go about what he had to say. The other Titans looked at him expectantly, wanting to know what he had to say.

He let out another breath as he gathered up the courage to say it, even though he felt like there was bile rising from his throat, preventing his vocal chords to speak those treacherous words. "We chose her because in the event that she would get caught," he swallowed deeply at this point, "we could be assured that Robin wouldn't hurt her..."

"...and we could leave her there while we figured out our next move." Bumblebee finished for him, already understanding what he was trying to say. Unfortunately, that only enraged her even more. "Are you crazy, Sparky?! Haven't you listened to a word we've just said? If we are going to leave her there, we're not just leaving her with Robin, we're leaving her with a whole army of supervillains, most of which she was the very person who had put them in jail! Robin can't be with her all the time. What do you think would happen if Dr. Light found her there, and decided to get his revenge? Would she still be safe then?" She now stood face-to-face with the cybernetic teen, glaring daggers at him. She was seething with anger with their plan, and so were the other Titans.

"And why did you not consult this with us, Friend Cyborg? We could have made other plans in which Friend Raven wouldn't have to be sacrificed in case things went wrong." Starfire said, her eyes lit up in frustration.

"If you guys are fine with betraying your own friend, then we aren't." Speedy added defiantly, sending his own glare at Cyborg through his mask.

"Oh c'mon. You're all saying that now but I'll bet you'll be saying something else when we're right in the face of danger because of her." Beastboy suddenly said, cruelly dismissing all of their worries.

This, of course, enraged Speedy even more. He grabbed the changeling roughly by his costume, making him choke with his force. "I don't know what your problem is, ass-wipe, but I swear if you say one more mean word against Raven, I am going to beat you to a pulp."

"I'd bet you're the one who gave this crazy idea to Sparky! If you didn't cloud his judgment, then we wouldn't be in this predicament right now!" Bumblebee added, pointing her finger to him as well.

"Well if you hypocrites wouldn't make a big fuss about it, then it would've been the perfect plan!" he shouted back, fighting against the blame that they were all putting on him.

"Friend Beastboy, what is the matter with you? Why are you so mad at Friend Raven? What had she done to make you want her to be hurt so badly?" Starfire asked as she floated around him with the others.

"She broke my heart! She chose that damn bastard over me!" Beastboy cried out, tears starting to come from his eyes.

The Titans were all shocked at what they heard. Speedy even dropped his hold on his uniform, not knowing how to react to what he had said. They all looked at him with pity in their eyes, wanting desperately to understand what he meant with his sudden confession. It puzzled them greatly, since they didn't notice anything different with the way the green changeling had been acting toward the dark sorceress. They saw his attempts at flirting, but they brushed it off, knowing that he had been doing that ever since the early years of the team.

Beastboy dropped his head, knowing that there was nothing more that he could do. He could only come clean to his companions and finally admit the truth to them. "I've had a crush on Raven for awhile now; I just never could make my move since she was always so close to Robin. I don't know, I guess they get each other in a sort of way that I never could." He began in the most defeated tone that they heard from him. "But then, he disappeared, and of course I was sad that that happened, but I thought that it meant that I finally had a chance with her." His lips curved into a small smile as he said this, but it instantly disappeared with what he had to say next. "I started approaching her, asking her out, hoping that she could give me the time of day. But she wouldn't go out with me. All she did was to bury herself in hours and hours of research, desperately trying to find Robin. It was stupid, really. Even if he wasn't there anymore, he was still better than me. He still owned her heart even if he was in God knows where doing God knows what."

"But you have Terra dude." Cyborg suddenly interjected. Though he didn't show it, he was pained to see his best friend like that; it hurt him to realize that he had no idea that he was going through that suffering.

He scoffed at the thought of his blonde girlfriend. "Terra? Yeah, sure she's there and all but..." His face winced in pain, as if he was physically hurt by just the thought of her. "She's not the same. She doesn't even remember who she is! I have to call her Tara for God sakes!" (2) His voice raised a few notches, finally revealing how hurt he truly was about all of this. "We don't even know how she even got out of her stone prison. All we know is that her statue disappeared and we found her walking around the city with no memory of who she really is. I try my best to love her, to focus whatever feelings I had for Raven to her but, it's really hard. It's like I don't even know her. She isn't the same person who sacrificed herself for Jump City, she isn't the same girl from that Tower. But I try, I still try..." he trailed off as he gazed up in the T-shaped tower which was home to all of their memories they shared. "Because now that Robin's back, there's no way in hell that I'll ever make Raven fall in love with me."

The other Titans could only look at him with pity at his admission. They never expected for him to be in that much pain. But now, they fully understood what he meant. They knew the reason why he was so infuriated when it came to Raven, why he had been blaming her for everything that has been happening.

After all, hate was merely the result of wounded love.

* * *

Robin leaned back against the dark headboard above Raven's bed, cradling her in his strong arms as they sat together on the soft mattress. He was gently rubbing her arms through her leotard, comforting her in the best way that he could. He couldn't bear to see her hurt in this way, but he was thankful that it was bringing her closer to him. And that was all that he could ask for.

"Richard?" she breathed out, her voice weak and tired from crying.

"What is it?" he replied softly, still gently caressing her.

"Why do you say you love me?" she asked innocently. "Unless you're just saying that to get into my pants."

He let out a hearty laugh at what she had said before holding her closer to him as he replied, "I say it because it's true." He kissed the top of her head for emphasis, to speak the truth of his words. "We've always had a special bond, Raven, one that I only share with you and you alone. You were the only one that cared for me, even when everyone else forgot. Even if your life was in danger, you still searched for me. You never gave up, no matter what happened. And I only have my love to offer as thanks. Without you, without your determination to save me, I wouldn't have lasted until now. Do you know that I was at the brink of death when you called out for me? (3) Your voice gave me the strength to fight, even if things were so hard. You're the only reason why I still fight, why I've created this corporation. This is all for you, Raven. The only reason I live is because of you."

"But I failed you, Richard." She replied dejectedly. "How can you still say such nice things about me when I was the one that failed you? Yes I tried to find you, but I never did. No matter how hard I tried, no matter where I looked, I didn't know where you were. I couldn't keep my promise to you. How can you still love me when I couldn't save you?"

He tucked her body closer to his own. "Shh... Raven it's okay." He whispered on the top of her head. "I didn't need you to save me. Just the fact that you were constantly looking for me, just the thought that there was someone out there who hasn't given up on me yet was enough for me. As you can see, I am very capable of saving myself. All I needed was a reason to fight against Slade, and you gave me that reason. You are my reason, Raven. You don't have to blame yourself anymore."

She suddenly looked up to face him, realizing that his words were the exact ones that she longed to hear at that moment. When her teammates' blame brought her to tears, Robin's speech made her heart well up with happiness. She found the forgiveness that she was longing for in his arms, and she knew she had to repay him for all the love that he had been showering upon her ever since his return.

"Richard, I..." she breathed out, struggling to find the right words to show her gratitude, to finally express the love that she always had for him hidden for so long. "I can never forget you. I will never give up on you, no matter what. I...I..."

Her mouth couldn't form the words that her heart was desperately aching for her to say. So she just held his face close to her own, and slowly leaned in, hoping to show him what she couldn't will her mouth to say. The line between good and evil was blurred before her, and all she was aware of was the burning presence in her heart to finally show the man that she loved everything that she felt.

Robin for his part was utterly shocked with what was happening. It was like his wildest dreams were coming true before his very eyes. Raven was finally warming up to him, and she seemed to be ready to kiss him. As their lips drew even closer to one another, he knew that there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to feel his Raven's lips on his own, through a kiss that she wanted.

They were only a breath apart when there was a sudden knocking on her door. Raven instantly pulled back from him at the sound, logic seemingly taking over her mind once again. Robin was of course, infuriated by the sudden intrusion. As he heard a second round of knocking against Raven's steel door, he was filled with a sudden rage. He only had the most excruciating death for the person who destroyed his precious moment with his dark sorceress.

He angrily stood up and stomped his feet toward the door, seething in anger. He hastily put on his mask as he punched the access code in and the door opened with a _swishing _sound.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for disturbing me or I swear I will have you suffer the most painful death imaginable." He threatened darkly at Wintergreen, his loyal servant.

"I-I'm sorry, Master." He stammered in fear. "But they have captured the Teen Titans and they wanted to know what you would want to be done with them."

"The Teen Titans, huh?" Robin blurted out, his mind reeling in the possibilities of their presence in the Titans West Tower. He looked back at Raven and wondered if her sudden initiation of the kiss had anything to do with the other Titans. He simply shook his head of those thoughts, knowing that it didn't matter. Even if Raven's presence in the Tower was just part of their plan, he already had the upper hand by simply being with her.

"Hm, it seems like your teammates are once again spoiling our fun. I'll just deal with them for a second and we can continue where we left off." He said teasingly as he quickly walked back to Raven's side. He placed a small kiss above her head, and then he walked out of the room with Wintergreen, leaving Raven all alone in her room, without a single chain to keep her there.

* * *

Deafening silence was all they could hear after Beastboy's admission. No one knew what to say to make the situation any better. Unfortunately, they did know what to say to make the situation worse.

Mas and Menos suddenly tugged at Aqualad's suit, seemingly worried about something. He quickly noticed this and bent down to their level, to see what they were so worried about. They whispered to both of his ears, and his black eyes widened with what he heard. He shot up from his crouched position and exclaimed to his teammates,

"Guys, if Raven is knocked out, then who's keeping the cloaking shield up?"

Everyone turned their attention toward Aqualad, suddenly realizing why he was so worried. The only reason how they have stayed in their position while avoiding their detection was through Raven's spell, making them invisible from onlookers from the outside. But when she was knocked unconscious by Robin, then that meant that the spell instantly disappeared, which only meant that they were completely vulnerable to the _Master's _defenses.

Just as this realization dawned upon them, they heard guns clicking around them. Turning around, they saw that they were completely surrounded by a group of thugs, with Carmine Falcone standing proudly behind them.

"Well, what do we have here? The Teen Titans at our doorstep? We didn't know we had guests! Why don't you come inside? I believe our _Master _would like to have a word with you. And I do hope you do not do anything stupid. I want to deliver you all in one piece."

The Titans had no choice but to raise their hands on their heads and surrender their selves to Carmine Falcone's custody.

* * *

They slowly trudged in one line through the dark Titans Tower, their arms bound together by chains. There were guards at each of their sides, making sure that they weren't planning anything reckless. The Titans' spirits seemed dejected by the fate that had befallen upon them. Not only did they have Raven to worry about, but they had to set themselves free first. But they'd be damned if they didn't put up a fight against Robin's evil corporation.

Just before they entered the Titans West common room, Cyborg suddenly started coughing. The other Titans stood in alert, knowing what this simple gesture meant.

"Cy, you okay buddy?" Beastboy asked with much concern in his voice.

"Nah bro, I'm not feeling very well. Something must've changed in the Tower's systems." He began coughing once again, louder than the ones before it.

All of the Titans stopped instantly, looking with much concern toward the cybernetic teen. The thugs were starting to become confused, wondering if something was truly wrong with their leader. Cyborg suddenly bent down as he was coughing violently, prompting one of the guards to rush to his side to see if he was alright. But just as he did this, Cyborg suddenly lunged toward him, instantly rendering the man unconscious.

The other Titans broke free of their bindings as well, and started defeating the thugs that had been around them. Carmine Falcone started panicking when he saw this; he was calling for back-up when Speedy shot an arrow toward him, destroying his cell phone in the process.

The Titans were quickly gaining the upper hand, easily defeating the other thugs that were coming toward them.

"Is that all you've got, Rob?!" Cyborg bellowed as he shot his sonic cannon at a group of guards.

As he said those words, a black arrow suddenly came right at him, lodging itself right in his cybernetic arm. Sparks were flying right from the wound, clearly showing the extent of the damage it made.

"I wouldn't want to taunt the _Master _if I were you." A baritone voice said from the shadows. "I heard that he's not in a particularly pleased mood right now, and you would be a complete fool to provoke him even more."

The Titans instantly stopped their fighting and turned toward the direction of the voice. Speedy's heart froze in his chest, recognizing the voice. Fear suddenly rushed through his veins, knowing that he could not mistake that voice for any other. He instantly knew that if it was he that they were facing, then they were all in great danger.

Bullets were suddenly fired from different directions, leaving the Titans disoriented and confused. They managed to dodge most of the bullets as they slowly backed towards each other, converging into a space in the middle of the hallway.

Suddenly, the attacks stopped as they could hear footsteps coming toward them. Before they knew it, they were instantly surrounded by the most chilling villains they knew: Deadshot, Two-Face, Carmine Falcone, Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Overload. Another villain stepped out of the shadows, striking fear in Speedy's heart. He wore a black hood, and a black archer suit that covered most of his body. He had a black belt around his waist and around his chest, which carried his arrows behind him. His face was hidden from the Titans, but they could tell that he was smiling underneath his hood. It was Merlyn, the most feared villain in Starling City.

The Titans drew closer to one another, fear racing in their hearts. Tension filled the room as they waited in dread of what was yet to come. Another excruciating moment of silence and stillness passed, and the suspense was driving them mad. They didn't know what to expect from the menacing stares that they were receiving from the unmoving villains surrounding them. Finally, they couldn't take the anticipation any longer.

"Okay guys!" Beastboy shouted out, "If you're gonna kill us you'd better do it now before I-" Before he could even finish his proud speech, he suddenly felt something pierce his side. Pain shot from his abdomen as he collapsed from the ground, blood quickly escaping from his fresh wound. The other Titans gathered around him, wondering what had happened to him. And they could only gasp at the weapon that was piercing his side.

It was a black birdarang.

"That was for hurting Raven." Robin announced as he stepped out from the shadows, his voice menacing, sending chills down their spine. "And this is for all of your sins against us." He nodded once to his associates before he ordered, "Attack."

Instantly all of the villains lunged toward the Titans who were still huddled around Beastboy, and completely unprepared to fight.

* * *

**A/N : So I only have the sincerest of apologies for the delay of this chapter. :( I know, I know it took me more than a month and I am sorry. :( I'll try to update faster next time, but I can't make any promises. Graduating life is kind of hectic so yeah. :)) But yaaayy at least this chapter finally came, right? :D And the ideas for the sequel are slowly formulating in my head so if you guys have any suggestions, just go ahead and tell me! :) **

**(1) : Chapter 2**

**(2) : There is a part in the comics wherein Terra just mysteriously pops up back into the land of the living, but has no recollection of her past actions or of her life as a Titan. She goes by the name of Tara Markov, and yeah.. that is basically what Beastboy is ranting about. I'm sorry how cliche' and cheesy that turned out to be, but I needed a reason why he was so angry at Raven, and that was the best I could come up with, so yeah. Sorry :)) Btw, the quote "hate is merely the result of wounded love" is from the Joy Luck Club :) **

**(3) : Chapter 2- flashback**

**So yeaaahhh I hope this was worth the wait! I'll do my best to make the next update much sooner! And yeah I decided to put all of the fighting action-packed scenes so get ready for that, and a possibly anti-climactic ending! Haha :))**

**And thank you to electrickpanda  and HermioneSakuraGardner07 for your song suggestions! I actually wanted to use the Bad Romance cover too, but I felt it would be too long if I quoted two songs at the start of the chapter :| And thanks to discb  the next song is going to be from 30 Seconds to Mars too, so yay! You can check out these songs too if you want to listen to them. They really go with the feel of the story. :)**

**electrickpanda ****: So yeah thank you for your suggestions! :D And yes, the Merlyn that I am picturing here is John Barrowman from Arrow : and from Doctor Who/Torchwood. (Though I haven't described his face yet :)) ) Thank youuu! Huhu your reviews fill my heart with giant penguins having tea parties with cuddly polar bears and pandas so thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

**acrobats the****y**** tumble**** :**** Hope the fluff in this chapter pleased you! Haha. I'm actually wondering if the other villains know of Raven's identity. So far, I'm pretty sure that Wintergreen knows. Oh well, the epilogue shall answer those questions! (Yes there is an epilogue even if there might be a sequel. Haha.) Thank you for your review!**

**HermioneSakuraGardner07 ****: Thank you and thank you once again for your suggestions! I don't know how you'll feel about Beastboy after this chapter, I do hope you will tell me! Hihi : I hope Night of the Hunter fit the chapter, what with all the revenge against the Titans thing. (Though Bad Romance is also a good fit huhu :(( ) I can probably add it in the start if you want. Haha.**

**Dakatmew ****: Thank you! Sorry it wasn't so soon :( I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and you're still probably wondering what Robin is up to. Haha. **

**TheDreamChaser****: Yes well the Titans are really about to get what's coming to them. Hehe. :)) I guess that it's that crazy, mad love that is in the heart of this story, that no matter how evil Robin is becoming, his love for Raven will always be there, but will it be enough to bring him to the good side...? :  
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**Xxsnow dreamxX :****Thank you! I like those stories too and your own :) Don't be sad! There might be a sequel and it might turn out to be a trilogy.. hihi but yeah we'll see! Keep your fingers crossed! :)**

**discb :**** Thank you! Actually a lot of people pointed out that it was the wrong move to make Raven their spy, but I don't think you'll be happy with Cyborg's reason as to why he did it. :)) Hope you don't have more sleepless nights! (Unless its spent with someone you care for. Hihi :)**

**Guest**** : Thank you! I am feeling better now and hopefully I won't die before finishing this! (Especially with just 2 chapters left :)) ) If ever I do get suicidal tendencies while writing this, I promise to finish this fic first before killing myself. Haha! :)) I love evil Robin/ good Raven stories too! :D**

**1m4g1n3 dr4g0ns****: Oh dear! Why did you translate it? :o I know how unreliable google translate can be :| (assuming that's what you used. haha) But as you can see, Beastboy is wounded so let's just see what happens. Haha. Your reviews always warm my heart so thaaank youuu! :D I'm sorry we have to go back to a lot of chapters, its just my way of wrapping everything up so it doesn't feel like I'm putting random elements in the story :)) I hope you get some idea of what's happening now. (or maybe not but yeah) Thank you for being your awesome self! **

**AtlantaGeorgia :Thank you! And I apologize for the very slow update :(**

**FOZE: **** Your review brings me so much joy! Haha. Thank you! I just, I just love you too! **

**ahsokalo: ****Thank you for your suggestions! I guess I was going for a less dramatic approach, though there was a lot of drama in this chapter. Haha. We'll see how it all ends. Good luck with your studies! **

**Delta501 : ****Thank you! You are awesome too! :) And at least I have written in such a badass way that he's comparable to the Godfather so thank you huhu. That means a lot especially since you sound so cool. Haha!**

**juniperfalcon17 :**** Thank you! Sorry medyo natagalan sa pag-update. Huhu. Busy lang kasi sa school. Sana natuwa ka na sa nangyari kay BB. :)) Astig ka rin! :) Galing pala ako ng Rizal, pero nag-aaral ako sa Quezon City. Ikaw ba? :)**

**MonkeyFish997 :**** Thank you! Mehehehe I will risk being really cliche' and just tell you to wait for the end to know who joins which side. :)) Though I haven't planned Batman's reaction yet. Maybe we'll see more of that in the sequel! Haha is it funny how I don't know what's gonna happen either? **

**itsjustRAE**** : Thank you! You make my heart swell with your compliments and I don't deserve them all. Huhu there are a lot of great writers here in Teen Titans fanfiction. :)) I do believe All Time Low is wonderful. And yeah, I do think I'll be writing the sequel myself, but you guys can suggest ideas too since it's still very sketchy and vague in my head. I hope you'll enjoy the last few chapters too! :)**

**Guest:**** I hope Cyborg's explanation answered your question. Though it probably made you angrier too. :| Oh and I'm not sure why but I think a part of your review is missing so I just got what I could. And yes I am a sucker for dark Robin and Raven fanfictions too, which is why I wrote this story. Haha. Do you have any that you can suggest to me for inspiration? Thanks!**

**Guest:**** Thank you! Sorry for the late update! **

**blueefaiiryy:**** Thank you! I am touched that my grammar passed your standards. :) I'm a sucker for these kinds of stories too, which is why I mostly write this kind huhu. Do you have other dark Robin stories that you know of? I'd love to read more for inspiration! And I hope the fluff scenes here weren't too cliche', even bad guys fall in love too. Tee hee. (And I'm a huge sucker for those kinds of bad-guy-is-obsessed-with-good-girl-relationships :)) ) I wonder what you thought of their debate to save Raven, and hopefully with Beastboy's wounds, he'll shut up for awhile. Haha.****  
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**Phew! Okay, that's all for me right now. I hope you are all enjoying your lives and have better days ahead! I really hope I can update and finish this fic soon! I may write a short, multi-chaptered story first before I go on with the sequel for this one. (And a couple of one-shots on the side. Tee hee.) Sorry but that one has been running around in my head for awhile now and it is dying to be written :)) And it's once again pretty dark tee hee. I might post a snippet at the epilogue but yeah, we'll see.**

**Have a nice day everyone! I love you all! :D :D **


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